STORM LAKE - Wartburg used big hits in the first inning of both games on Sunday afternoon to jump out to a big lead, and the Knights never looked back as they handed the Buena Vista softball team a pair of losses to begin American Rivers Conference play by scores of 13-4 (6 inn.) and 11-2 (5 inn.).

The Knights had a pair of bases clearing doubles in the first inning of the opener to aid them in building a quick 8-0 lead.  Carlee Guyett walked to lead off the bottom half for BVU and later came around to score from third on a wild pitch to get the Beavers on the board.

Sydney Carroll blasted a home run over the fence in right center field in the second to get BVU within 8-3, but that would be as close as the team could get the rest of the way.

Wartburg got those two runs back in the third with a two-out double down the left field line for a 10-3 score before adding a run in the fourth and two more in the sixth.  Brooke Linderman homered for the Beavers in the third for the team's only other run.

Guyett finished 2-for-3 at the plate with one walk while Linderman scored twice.  The Knights had 15 hits in the contest, including five that went for extra bases.

Freshman Ashtyn Miller got the start inside the circle for BVU and was roughed up for eight runs on seven hits in just 0.2 innings en route to her first loss of the season (4-1).

Game two began much of the same way for the Knights as they blasted a grand slam off BVU starter Peyton Gross to take a 6-0 lead in the first.  A two-run homer in the second made it 8-0 before they added a run in the fourth and two more in the fifth.

Carroll's second home run of the day which came in the second inning accounted for BVU's only scoring of the game.  Six different Beavers had one hit in the contest, including a double from Kayden Archibeque.

Six of Wartburg's eight hits in the game went for extra-bases.

Gross falls to 8-2 on the year after lasting only 1.1 innings and being charged with eight runs on just three hits.  She was hurt by four walks and only two strikeouts.

Buena Vista dips to 14-8 overall and 0-2 in conference play.  Wartburg improved to 17-5 (2-0 A-R-C).

The Beavers return to the diamond on Tuesday afternoon when they travel to Central College for a doubleheader with the Dutch that is scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m.