Staff photo by Travis Rosenau Martin Luther College’s Sam Rodriquez pitches during the Knights’ home game with North Central University on Friday in New Ulm.

NEW ULM — Despite nine strong innings from Martin Luther College starting pitcher Sam Rodriguez, North Central University broke a 2-2 tie in the ninth to pick up a 3-2 win in an Upper Midwest Athletic Conference baseball game on Friday.

Sam Rodriquez, a 6-5 right-handed freshman, struck out a career-high eight batters in the complete-game loss. He gave up seven hits and three walks for three earned runs.

Tanner Oka got the win for the Rams, pitching two innings of relief for starter Christian Rodriquez, who went six innings and allowed one earned run on three hits and three walks while fanning six. Oka gave up one hit and two walks before Jack Parker picked up the save in the ninth.

With the score tied at 2-2 in the top of the ninth, Kristian Garcia had a big two-out RBI double to right-center that scored Christian Rodriquez, who walked with one out in the inning. Garcia ended up leading the Rams at the plate with a 2-for-4 game.

After Sam Rodriquez struck out Nate Boyer to end the top of the ninth, the Knights had one more shot to tie things up or win it.

Spencer Lilienthal walked to lead off the bottom of the ninth before Heckendorf dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Lilienthal to second. Parker then got a strikeout to have the Rams an out away from the win before he hit Elijah Henning with a pitch, giving the Knights two runners on with two outs. Zach Klement was able to muscle a pitch to center field, but it was caught for the final out of the game.

The Rams committed four errors in the game. While MLC was error-free on the day, it stranded eight baserunners, including leaving the bases full in the bottom of the seventh that saw Caleb Heckendorf and Tony Sahatjian both reach on errors before Henning drew a walk to fill the bases. A groundout ended the inning moments later.

The Rams were on the board first after a solo homer by Christian Rodriquez in the second inning. Matthew Oakley flied out to left in the fourth to score Julian Encinas from third on a sac fly, giving the Rams the 2-0 lead.

Mason Cox got the Knights on the board in the bottom of the fourth on a sac fly to right that scored Klement. Henning then singled in Jackson Lindemann to tie the game up at 2-all.

MLC ended the game with four hits, which all came on singles from Reagan Moore, Andrew Deisinger, Sahatjian and Henning.

The Knights (2-16, 2-6) host the Rams (3-4, 1-2) again for a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday.