AUBURNDALE, Fla. – The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) baseball team opened their spring break in Florida against the Wartburg College Knights, falling by a final score of 4-3. RPI moves to 0-1-1 on the season, while Wartburg improves to 5-3 overall.
 
After both sides played a scoreless first third of the game, Wartburg opened the scoring in the fourth inning as a groundout by Eliot Jurgenson scored an unearned run to give the Knights a 1-0 lead. The score stayed 1-0 until the seventh inning, as the game was a pitching duel to that point.
 
In the bottom of the seventh, Will Armstrong gave Wartburg a 2-0 lead with an RBI single. The Knights needed the run, as the Engineers scored a run in the top of the eighth to bring their lead back to one run thanks to an RBI single by Julian Scarpa to score Martin Marintchev.
 
With the score 2-1 in favor of Wartburg, the Knights tacked on two runs in the bottom of the eighth with a pair of RBI singles from Jurgenson and Cole Wessling to make it 4-1 Wartburg.
 
The Engineers fought back in the top of the ninth, loading the bases with nobody out. After a strikeout, a groundout from Ayush Krishnappa scored a pair to make it 4-3. With two outs, a fly out ended the game for RPI, as the Knights clinched the win.
 
Rylan Wade pitched 5.2 innings for the Engineers, giving up only three hits and one unearned run while striking out four. Wartburg's Nick Nin pitched 6.2 innings of scoreless ball, scattering four hits and striking out four as well.
 
The Engineers return to action tomorrow, Sunday, March 5 against Fontbonne University right back in Auburndale, Florida.