AUBURNDALE, Florida - The Prairie Fire baseball team earned an 8-2 victory over University of Maine, Presque Isle to open play in Florida for Spring Break on Thursday morning.

Knox plated two in each of the first two innings to take an early 4-0 lead. The Owls pushed across an unearned run in the top of the sixth, but the Prairie Fire responded with a run of their own in the bottom half.

Knox scored three more in the bottom of the seventh and surrendered one more run in the eighth to come away with the win.

Nick Henning allowed one earned run over eight innings for his first victory of the season. He scattered six hits and struck out three. Jeff Ripka came in for the final inning and worked around a walk with two strikeouts and a pop up.

Luke Mathieu, Tyler Kemp, Jason Clark, Etienne Thomas, and Evan Laws tallied two hits apiece for the Prairie Fire. Thomas Wilmot also added a two RBI double. Clark and Kemp each drove in a pair. Henry Scholes came off the bench for a big pinch hit RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Knox will return to action on March 15 as they play Principia in Davenport, Florida.