Wartburg is celebrating its 17th outright and 20th overall Iowa Conference baseball championship after sweeping Simpson on Monday (April 27, 2015).

The 8th-ranked Knights (30-9 overall, 20-8 IIAC) blanked the Storm twice, 4-0 and 12-0. The teams split their series-opening doubleheader on Sunday.

“We played really good baseball today,” said Wartburg Coach Joel Holst. “It's a roller coaster ride sometimes, even (Sunday) night at this time. I wasn't feeling real good about losing a game here at home and not knowing what was going to happen within the league. Our guys did a good job today of coming back and playing well.”

The Knights limited Simpson to just five hits in the two games. In the seven-inning opener, sophomore pitcher Max Langheinrich (Minnetonka, Minn.) allowed the first of his two hits with one out in the sixth and recorded a career-best 10 strikeouts. Junior Parker Bolt (Reinbeck) picked up the win in the nightcap with an eight-strikeout performance.

“We had two really good pitching performances and the other parts of the game were solid too,” Holst said. “To have Max come out and throw the way he did – I thought he was going to get a no-hitter – and Parker to follow it up is huge. That's what it's going to take as we move forward, good pitching.”

Junior Ryan Kemp (Keokuk) drove in all four runs for Wartburg in the opener. He went 3-for-3 at the plate, finishing a triple shy of the cycle. He connected for a single and a double, before hitting an inside-the-park home run.

The effort of Jake Thumann (DeWitt) highlighted the Knight's offensive production in game two. The sophomore right fielder went 3-for-3, scored two runs and drove-in a pair of teammates.

This is the 10th time in program history that Wartburg has met or surpassed the 30-victory mark in a single season.

The Knights can add to their win total on Friday, when they close regular-season play. Wartburg hosts St. Thomas (Minnesota) at Riverfront Stadium in Waterloo in a nine-inning game, which begins at 7 p.m.

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