GALESBURG, Illinois—The Prairie Fire baseball team dropped a home doubleheader with Midwest Conference leader Grinnell on Sunday.
 
Knox (9-21, 2-13 MWC) took a lead early in game one by pushing across a single run in each of the first two innings. The Pioneers got on the board in the fourth with a run, but the Prairie Fire responded with a run of their own in the bottom half. Grinnell scored 10 runs in the top of the fifth inning to take a commanding 11-3 lead. Knox added a run in the fifth and another sixth to cut the deficit to seven runs, but the Pioneers tacked on three in the seventh to take a 14-5 lead. The Prairie Fire came roaring back with eight runs in the bottom of the eight, but Grinnell shut the door in the ninth to walk away with a 14-13 victory.
 
The Pioneers struck first in game two, with two runs in each of the first two innings. Knox rallied with three runs in the third, but Grinnell scored a run in the fourth and three in the fifth to take an 8-3 lead. The Prairie Fire scored two in the bottom of the sixth to cut the deficit to 8-5. Knox and the Pioneers exchanged a pair of runs each in the seventh inning before Grinnell added two runs in the eight and another three in the ninth to win 15-7.
 
Dalton James and Tristyn Ruiz led the Prairie Fire with five hits each on the day. Paul Sanders and Andrew Recker each tallied four hits. Sanders and Spencer Bauer each homered. Ruiz belted a double and a triple. Recker smacked a double and Adam Brown blasted a triple. James led with three RBI. Sanders stole five bases on the day and Ruiz added three.
 
Knox will travel to Robert Morris Peoria on May 2.