Staff photo by Ari Selvey Martin Luther College's John Westendorf looks to first base after getting the out at second during an Upper Midwest Athletic Conference baseball game at the MLC Sports Complex on Saturday.

NEW ULM — Martin Luther College was swept in a three-game series to Crown College in an Upper Midwest Athletic Conference baseball series on Saturday and Sunday.

MLC kept both Saturday games close early, being down 5-3 after three in Game 1 and holding a 6-2 lead after four innings in Game 2, but the Polars stormed back to win both games handedly, winning the opening game 19-4 in eight innings and the second 15-6. Sunday’s matchup was the closest of the three, with MLC holding a 10-5 lead after eight, but a six-run ninth made it an 11-10 Polars victory.

Owen Proctor took the loss in Game 1 for MLC, striking out two while allowing eight runs on 10 hits in five innings of work. At the plate, William Salgat was 2 for 3 with two runs scored, while Micah Herbst had a hit and three RBIs. Ryan Pufahl had a hit and an RBI.

MLC took a 3-0 lead in the first inning, with Herbst hitting a triple with bases loaded to drive home Salgat, Mark Vogel and John Westendorf, but the lead was short lived, with Crown scoring four in the top of the second inning. Crown added a run in the third, fourth and fifth inning to go up 7-3, and MLC tacked on a run of its own with a single from Pufahl to score Salgat. However, Crown put the game out of reach with a 12-run sixth inning to seal the 19-4 win.

Pufahl took the loss in Game 2, allowing seven runs on nine hits in 4 1/3 innings. At the plate, Salgat was 3 for 4 with an RBI, while Vogel was 2 for 5 with a run scored. Michel Krebs had a hit and an RBI.

The Knights once again seized the early advantage, with Salgat and Krebs hitting sacrifice flies to score John Westendorf and Vogel, respectively, before an error brought home Parker Winghart. Another error and a balk scored Walta, Herbst and Jackson Anderson for a 6-0 MLC lead. Crown got two runs back in the second, then took the lead in the fifth with five more runs. A six-run sixth inning made it a 13-6 lead, and Crown added a run each in the eighth and ninth inning for the 15-6 win.

Micah Herbst took the loss in Sunday’s game, allowing six runs, none earned, on six hits with two strikeouts in 1 2/3 innings. Aidan Berg made the start, striking out nine and allowing five runs, two earned, on eight hits in 7 1/3 innings. At the plate, Jackson Anderson was 4 for 5 with three RBIs and two runs scored, while Wingheart and Krebs were both 3 for 5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Herbst added two hits and a run scored, while Walta had a hit, an RBI and a run scored.

Crown took a 3-0 lead early with a run in the first and two in the second, but Anderson and Winghart both recorded an RBI in the third and Anderson doubled to send home Krebs in the fourth to tie the game at 3. MLC scored another run in the fifth on an error put into play by Salgat, then the Knights took a 7-3 lead with a three-run sixth inning, with Anderson, Vogel and Winghart all earning RBIs. Crown got one run back in the eighth, but MLC added three more in the bottom of the inning, with Salgat, Walta and Krebs all bringing home runs for a 10-6 lead. However, the Polars plated six in the top of the ninth, and MLC was unable to even the score as Crown earned the sweep.

MLC (5-17, 0-6) plays a doubleheader at Maranatha Baptist on Thursday. Both games will be seven innings.