The Riverland Community College baseball team showed how well it can play in game one of a doubleheader and it showed how bad it can play in game two during its conference opener in Dick Seltz Field Friday.

The Blue Devils stormed to a 13-0 win in five innings over Western Tech. (1-8 overall, 1-1 MCAC) in the opening game, but they dropped the nightcap 5-4.

After winning big in game one, RCC started sluggish as it trailed 5-1 before making a late push in the bottom of the seventh. RCC racked up 12 hits in the first game, but it had just four hits in the second contest.

“It was the worst loss for Riverland baseball in 10 years,” RCC head coach Scott Koenigs said. “You can’t win big in the first one and then expect the second one to be a cake walk.”

RCC left the bases loaded in the sixth and seventh innings of the loss. It was able to get within one run in the seventh when Luis Rodriguez, Alex Ciola and Ian Lopez all drew RBI walks, but Mairion Brunken grounded out to end the surge.

Jake Erickson, a freshman from La Crosse, Wis., pitched a no-hit shutout and he homered, while knocking in five runs in the first game. But he went 0-for-4 in the second game.

Erickson said RCC will have to take Friday’s split as a learning experience.

“It took way too long for us to get going. We can’t wait until the last inning to start,” Erickson said. “It’s a lesson to learn. We need to come ready to play every game no matter who we play. We weren’t prepared and we came in just not ready to play. We underestimated them, we expected to win the second game and you just can’t do that. I think we’re going to bounce back strong and I think we’re going to play hard the rest of the year and not take anything for granted.”

Erickson struck out 10 of the 17 hitters he faced in the opening win and he also went three-for-four at the plate.

“I threw a lot of fast balls and that’s a good way to show confidence in your defense,” Erickson said. “If you can throw fast balls and they can make plays, that’s about as easy as it gets.”

The Blue Devils (14-3 overall, 1-1 MCAC) will look to get back on track when they play a doubleheader at RCTC 2 p.m. Saturday.

WWT 0 0 0  0 0  —    0   0   0

RCC 1 5 6  1 X  —  13  12  0

RCC pitching: Jake Erickson (W) 5 IP, 2 BB, 0 R, 10 K

RCC hitting: Mairion Brunken, 1-for-2, RBI, BB, 2 R; Erickson, 3-for-4, double, HR, 5 RBIs, 3 R; Mason Ruhlman, 3-for-3, 2 doubles, 2 RBIs; Josh Molina, 1-for-3, RBI; Ian Lopez, 0-for-2, BB, SB, R; Luis Rodriguez, 0-for-1, BB, HBP, 2 R; Jacob Zwak, 1-for-2, 2 RBIs, R; Alex Ciola, 1-for-1; Jack McNellis, 1-for-2, R; Danny Santana, BB; Austin Manglitz, 1-for-2, double, 2 RBIs, 2 R

WWT 0 0 0  1 3 0  1  —  5  4  0

RCC 0 0 0  0 1 0  3  —  4  4  1

RCC pitching: Molina (L) 4 1/3 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 3 ER, 1 HBP, 9 K; Brunken, 2 2/3 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 2 ER, 5 K, HBP

RCC hitting: Brunken, 1-for-4, BB, SB; Erickson, 0-for-4; Ruhlman, 1-for-2, R, BB, HBP; Molina, 0-for-3, R, BB; McNellis, 0-for-2, R, BB, HBP; Rodriguez, 2-for-3, RBI, BB; Ciola, 0-for-2, RBI, 2 BBs; Santana, 0-for-1; Eric Torres, 0-for-1; Lopez, 0-for-1, RBI, 2 BBs, R