Trailing 5-0 during the first game of an Upper Midwest Athletic Conference baseball doubleheader against the North Central University Rams, the Knights rallied for six runs in the bottom of the ninth to finish with a 6-5 win after Carlos Walta’s walk-off walk. The Knights battled back from another big deficit in Game 2, this time after trailing 8-2, but they dropped the second game 12-11.

The Knights’ (7-27, 2-16) doubleheader was the final two games of a three-game series with the Rams (7-29, 2-16), which started in New Ulm on Friday with a 7-2 win for MLC. In that Friday game, Owen Proctor got the complete-game win, allowing three hits and five walks for one earned run while striking out seven. Walta was also 2 for 3 with a double, two RBIs and two walks in that Friday win, while Aidan Berg was 2 for 4 with a double and three RBIs and Micah Herbst was 2 for 5.

GAME 1

In MLC’s Game 1 victory Saturday, sophomore right-hander Aidan Berg pitched the complete game. Despite being confused in the ninth after having to change his glove for the second time in the game due to wear and tear, Berg was locked in and allowed six hits and three walks for five unearned runs while striking out 12.

Staff photo by Travis Rosenau Martin Luther College’s Carlos Walta points up in celebration after taking a walk-off walk to win Game 1 of a UMAC baseball doubleheader Saturday against North Central University at MLC Baseball Field in New Ulm.

His commanding performance made it even tougher for his teammates entering the ninth as they were unable to give him any run support to back him up, but Berg wasn’t worried.

“It’s just nice going out there that there’s always a chance with these guys,” Berg said. “We’ve got the bats and we’ve got the energy that we can just go out. Obviously, we put up six runs in the ninth. There was a never doubt that we couldn’t come back, in my mind.”

The MLC defense had a rough go of it early on as they committed six errors in the game, all coming in the first four innings. They cleaned it up later in the game, however, to keep things manageable for Berg, whose only extra-base hit allowed came on a home run in the first by Juan Rodriguez following three errors.

After taking a 3-0 lead in the first, NCU got a single to right by Anthony Barajas to score two and make it 5-0. As the Knights struggled stringing hits together, Berg stayed dialed in.

The Knights’ comeback started in the ninth when Walta singled to score Parker Winghart, who led off with a double to right-center field. Jackson Anderson and Evan Kasa followed that with walks to load the bases for Mark Vogel and force the Rams to take out starting pitcher Darrion Wesley. Wesley went eight innings, allowing five hits and four walks for four earned runs while fanning five.

Staff photo by Travis Rosenau Martin Luther College’s Aidan Berg delivers a pitch during Game 1 of a UMAC baseball doubleheader on Saturday against North Central University at MLC Baseball Field in New Ulm.

Tim Yohan Dixon took the mound after that and a Vogel single to right made it a 5-2 game.

A wild pitch moved all runners up and scored Anderson before Ethan Melso singled to left to make it 5-4. After Michel Krebs grounded out to advance Melso to second, Nathan Vance walked to load the bases and force another Rams pitching change that sent Tim Bullert to the mound. John Westendorf bunted and managed to reach first safely and bring in the tying run.

After Winghart reached on a fielder’s choice that forced Melso out at home, Walta took the game-winning walk to complete the Knights’ big comeback.

Vogel finished the first game 2 for 4 with an RBI to lead the Knights, while Westendorf was 2 for 5 with an RBI.

It’s been a tough season for the Knights, whose last back-to-back wins came early March. After winning Friday and finishing the series Saturday with a doubleheader split, Berg and the Knights are feeling good.

“We’re finally putting it together and we’re playing like we know we can,” Berg said. “Even though the season didn’t necessarily go the way we wanted, to end it on a high note and be satisfied we played the way we wanted to to end the year and we played up to our abilities. It’s huge.”

GAME 2

The Knights were off to a strong start in Game 2, taking a 2-1 lead in the second inning after Berg had a solo homer to left. An RBI double by Walta gave the Knights their first run of the game in the first inning.

But NCU shook things up in the fourth for seven runs to take an 8-2 lead. MLC got three back in the bottom of the fifth, but the Rams got two more in the seventh to lead 10-5. The Knights got within a run after a four-run bottom of the seventh that saw a three-run homer to right field from Winghart and an RBI single to right by Vogel.

The teams exchanged another pair of runs in the eighth, setting the Knights up for another chance at a dramatic finish.

After keeping the Rams’ lead to 12-11 to begin the ninth, the bottom of the ninth saw Logan Gray-Ives take first on a one-out walk. Krebs reached on a fielder’s choice for the second out and took second base on a wild pitch, but reliever Yohan Dixon forced a groundout to end the doubleheader with a split.

The Knights were led at the plate by Krebs, who went 3 for 5, while Westendorf was 2 for 3 with four runs scored and Walta was 2 for 4 with two doubles and two RBIs. Anderson went 2 for 5 with an RBI and Winghart was 2 for 6 with his homer and six RBIs.

Connor Heckendorf got the start and loss on the mound for MLC, allowing eight runs, four earned, on nine hits and a walk while striking out one in 3 2/3 innings.

Rodriguez led the Rams at the plate, going 4 for 5 with four RBIs, while Jack Meckler was 3 for 4 with two homers, a triple, five RBIs and three runs scored.

Ivan Demel got the start and win for the Rams on the mound in Game 2, pitching five innings and allowing seven hits and four walks for five earned runs while striking out two.

NCU outhit MLC 15-14 in Game 2 and had no errors to MLC’s five. Both teams left seven runners on base.

The Knights are at Carleton for a pair of seven-inning games on Tuesday afternoon to finish the year.