FERGUS FALLS — The Riverland baseball team couldn’t overcome two crucial changed calls that went against them as it had to settle for a split in Fergus Falls Wednesday.

The Blue Devils (22-9 overall, 4-2 MCAC South) lost the opener 4-3 and won the nightcap 9-5.

RCC was leading the opener 3-2 and it looked like it would 4-2 in top of the sixth after the Blue Devils beat out an infield hit with the bases loaded. But after a discussion, the call was changed to an out and the inning came to and for RCC.

In the bottom of the sixth, it looked like the Blue Devils had gotten out of a jam with an inning-ending double play, but the call was changed to a foul ball and Fergus (19-3 overall, 4-1 MCAC South) scored two runs to take the lead for good.

“It was a bunch of bad calls and all of them went against us,” RCC head coach Scott Koenigs said. “Unfortunately, this might be the one time in my ten years here where umpires decided a game.”

RCC trailed 5-1 in the nightcap before pounding out seven hits in an eight-run fifth inning to salvage the split.

“I give our guys a lot of credit,” Koenigs said. “It’s tough to come back after you had a game swiped from you and they were basically six outs from a sweep. Our guys didn’t let that happen.”

RCC opened the first game strong as Matt Boswell, Braeden Hunkins and Aaron Palmer all hit solo homers, but after that RCC’s bats went cold the rest of the way.

Michael Knutson had a big game in the nightcap for RCC as he went three-for-three with a double, a triple and three RBIs.

Southland grad Chris May continued his hot hitting as he went three-for-four with an RBI on the day.

RCC 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 — 3 6 3

FF 1 0 0 0 1 2 X — 4 6 0

RCC pitching: Joseph Wagner (L), 5 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 4 ER, 7 K; Brady Klingfus, 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 K

RCC hitting: Michael Knutson, 1-for-4; Matt Boswell, 1-for-4, HR, RBI, R; Braeden Hunkins, 1-for-1, HR, RBI, R; 2 BBs; Aaron Palmer, 2-for-3, HR, RBI, R; Chris May, 1-for-2, BB; Jason Kezman, 0-for-1, BB; Jamie Adams, 0-for-2, 2 HBP

RCC 1 0 0 0 8 0 0 — 9 12 4

FF 2 1 0 2 0 0 0 — 5 6 0

RCC pitching: Connor Hurst (W), 5 IP, 6 H, 4 BB, 3 ER, 8 K, 2 HBP; Ben Schaben, 2 IP, 3 BB, 0 R, 3 K

RCC hitting: Donte Bledsoe, 1-for-3, double, 2 R, SB; Knutson, 3-for-3, double, triple, 2 RBIs, R, BB; Victor Claudio, 1-for-3, double, R, BB; Tyler Krekling, 1-for-3, RBI, R, BB; Palmer, 2-for-3, RBI, R, HBP; Chris May, 2-for-3, RBI, R, BB; Hunkins, 1-for-1, double, 2 RBIs; May, 0-for-4, RBI