DUBUQUE, Iowa - The Luther Baseball team took its undefeated record in American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) only to see the day split in the doubleheader to the Spartans. The Norse won the first game of the day by a score of 3-2 before dropping the second game in 13 innings by a score of 3-2. Overall, Luther is 19-9 and 12-1 in A-R-C. 
 
GAME 1: NORSE (3), SPARTANS (2)
For both teams it took a while for the bats to get going. The Spartans knocked two singles and loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the third. However, the Norse were on top of it, closing down the threat, fielding the final out of the inning to get out of the jam.
 
Luther responded with a similar outing finding their first hit in the top of the fourth. But no runs were scored. And Harry Blum (Fridley, Minn. / Fridley) continued to be a bright spot on the mound forcing hitters into groundouts and a strikeout to close the fourth inning. 
 
The Norse finally broke the scoreless draw in the top of the fifth. Peyton Lindmark (Bettendorf, Iowa / Pleasant Valley) led off with a single. Mark Prince (Encinitas, Calif. / La Costa Canyon) moved him over to second on a sac bunt. Then Lindmark advanced to third on an error by the shortstop and raced for home for the first run. Will Heithoff (Winterset, Iowa / Winterset) followed up with a single and moved to second on a wild pitch. And Noah Sebben (Moline, Ill. / Moline) hit an RBI single to bring in the second run for a 2-0 Norse advantage. The Spartans cut the lead in half but that's all they'd get to close out the fifth. 
 
In the sixth, Luther added another run with a runner on, Gabe Atkins lined a single to get two runners aboard. Lindmark then hit an RBI single that scored the run bringing back a two run lead. 
 
After a scoreless seventh Dubuque pulled within one for the second time in the game with a double in the bottom of the eighth. Nolan Klocke (Hayfield, Minn. / Hayfield) came in to pitch throwing just 28 pitches while only allowing one hit, two walks and two strikeouts to keep the Spartans from a walk-off win through two innings of work to get the save. Blum would pick up the win on the mound giving up five hits with one run and six strikeouts. 
 
GAME 2: NORSE (2), SPARTANS (3) - 13 inn.
Cullen Stamp (Plymouth, Minn. / Wayzata) with the lead off game two with a triple putting a runner in scoring position early. Sebben hit the sac fly into right field that brought the first run for the Norse to strike first. Later in the top of the fourth Sebben reached on an error. Then Charlie Rubendall (Minneapolis, Minn. / DeLaSalle) drove him in on a single into right field. However, the Spartans would tie the game at two in the bottom of the fifth inning. 
 
With the game still tied at 2-2 it was headed into extra innings. Luther had the chance to add a run in the 11th but it wasn't in the cards. In the bottom of the 13th, the Spartans took advantage of a runner on third. Then all it took was a single down the left field side that gave Dubuque the winning run to take the game 3-2. Luther drops its first conference game of the season for a 12-1 record in A-R-C and 19-9 overall. 
 
TOP NORSE
o   Peyton Lindmark (Bettendorf, Iowa / Pleasant Valley) had two hits, one run, one RBI and one stolen base in game one of the double header. 
o   Harry Blum (Fridley, Minn. / Fridley) and Nolan Klocke (Hayfield, Minn. / Hayfield) only allowed two combined runs with eight combined strikeouts to help the Norse win the first game. 
 
UP NEXT
Luther will close out the series with the Spartans on Saturday, April 15th with first pitch at 11:00 a.m. CT from Dubuque, Iowa. 
 
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