Knights Beat Coe To Open IIAC Baseball Tournament

Wartburg passed its first test at the Iowa Conference baseball tournament in Cedar Rapids Thursday night (May 12, 2016).

The top-seeded Knights defeated fourth-seeded Coe, 8-2, in a winners bracket game. They are one of two unbeaten teams remaining in the tournament heading into the second-day of competition.

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Senior Parker Bolt (Reinbeck) pitched the complete game for Wartburg (32-9 overall). He allowed seven hits and struck out three while throwing 110 pitches.

The Knights did their damage at the plate, with seven of their nine starters getting multiple hits. Outfielder Ryan Kemp (Keokuk) led the offense with a pair of hits, including a 380-foot home run that accounted for three of Wartburg's four runs in the eighth inning. On the night, Kemp drove in half of the Knights' runs.

Infielder Tanner Johnson (Oak Creek, Wis.) also had a productive evening at the plate, getting two doubles and walking twice in six plate appearances.

Wartburg scored a pair of runs each in the first and fourth innings, while the Kohawks (18-21) tallied single runs in the fourth and fifth. The Knights owned a 4-2 lead after five innings, then doubled their run total in the eighth.

UP NEXT: Wartburg faces Luther (30-12) in the semifinals at 1 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Stadium/Perfect Game Field in Cedar Rapids.

Courtesy: Wartburg Knights via YouTube