STORM LAKE, Iowa - The Luther Baseball team split the doubleheader with Buena Vista winning 6-4 before falling in a close 3-2 game in ten innings. For the Norse even taking a game from American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) is a victory. Luther is just the second conference team this season other than Loras to take a game from the Buena Vista. The Norse overall now sit at 20-13 and 13-5 in A-R-C which is second in the conference standings.
 
GAME 1: NORSE (6), BEAVERS (4)
Luther nabbed one run in the top of the second. With one out, Charlie Rubendall (Minneapolis, Minn. / DeLaSalle) hit a triple that lined into left center field. That hit was followed up by a single from Mark Prince (Encinitas, Calif. / La Costa Canyon) for back-to-back hits for the Norse. Luther now had the 1-0 lead but there still lots of baseball to be played.
 
The Norse kept it going with Cullen Stamp (Plymouth, Minn. / Wayzata) and Peyton Lindmark (Bettendorf, Iowa / Pleasant Valley) both on base via singles. Then it was Gabe Atkins (Castle Pines, Colo. / Rock Canyon) turn as he laid down the bunt that second the second Norse run of the game. Joshua Matanich (Lake City, Minn. / Lincoln) grounded out but earned an RBI for helping Lindmark score to take a 4-0 lead.
 
The Beavers responded with four runs in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game at 4-4. Then in the top of the seventh Luther roared back starting with a lead-off double from Kyle Morony (Spencer, Iowa / Spencer). Then Stamp reached on a fielder's choice to move Morony over to third. Peyton Lindmark (Bettendorf, Iowa / Pleasant Valley) was hit by pitch to stack the bases. Joshua Matanich also reached on another Beaver error giving Morony and Stamp the chance to tack on two more runs building the score to 6-4.
 
Josh Stratton (Plainfield, Ill. / Central) continued to find success on the mound since coming in during the sixth inning. He only allowed one hit and struck down six in route to his second win of the season for a 2-1 record.
 
GAME 2: NORSE (2), BEAVERS (3) – 10 inn.
After a taking game one Luther was potentially on the verge of taking the series. It took until the fourth inning for any runs to be scored. With two outs and one runner on Mark Prince hit a two-run home run that lifted the Norse to a 2-0 advantage. But the Beavers quickly cut the lead in half in the bottom half of the inning.
 
Another four scoreless innings went by as Luther was holding on to the slim 2-1 lead. The Beavers jammed the bases with two outs. A batter hit by pitch forced the game into extra innings for the tying run coming in.
 
It all came down to the tenth inning but the Norse couldn't find any luck on offense. Buena Vista would walk it off with a solo homerun to end the game 3-2. Harry Blum (Fridley, Minn. / Fridely) and Nolan Klocke (Hayfield, Minn. / Hayfield) combined for ten strikeouts, eight hits, three runs in the loss. Klocke is now 3-1 on the season.
 
TOP NORSE

• Ryan Maternach (Monticello, Iowa / Monticello) through five innings gave up six hits, four runs with five strikeouts in his five innings.
• Josh Stratton (Plainfield, Ill. / Central) only gave up one hit in just four innings and additionally had six strikeouts in 13 batters faced. He had three force outs and three ground outs.
• Harry Blum (Fridley, Minn. / Fridley) held the Beavers to just four hits, one run, one walk and struck out eight in his seven innings of work in the second game of the doubleheader.
• Mark Prince (Encinitas, Calif. / La Costa Canyon) had three total hits with a single, a double and a two-run homerun. He also had three RBIs between the two games.

UP NEXT
The Norse will get a few days off before traveling for another tough series at Loras with game one of the three-game series on Friday, April 28^th with first pitch at 6:00 p.m. CT in Dubuque, Iowa.
 
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