The Knox baseball team earned its first Midwest Conference win Friday, defeating Cornell on the road. The victory brings the Prairie Fire's record to 3-18 overall and 1-3 in the MWC.

The two teams are scheduled to play a doubleheader on Saturday in Galesburg, with the first pitch scheduled for noon.

Pitching was the story for Knox as Anthony Soliz and Brady Bertrand combined to allow two runs on two hits. Soliz struck out seven in six innings of work to get the win, while Bertrand fanned four in three innings to record the save.

The first two innings were scoreless. In the top of the third, however, the Prairie Fire jumped on the scoreboard, tallying three runs to take the lead. 

Andrew Garrett was hit by a pitch to lead off, advancing to second on a wild pitch. Hayden Derlein singled, putting runners on the corners with one out. Nicholas Nitti plated Garrett with a single to left. After Thomas Wilmot walked, a passed ball allowed the second run. Jacob Halseth's sacrifice fly brought in Nitti to complete the three-run inning.

In  the top of the fourth, the Prairie Fire added to the lead with a pair of runs. Tyler Kemp led off the inning, getting hit by a pitch. Owen Shannon followed with a walk, and Knox was in business again. After a strikeout and a steal by Kemp and Shannon, Derlein came through again with a two-run single and a 5-0 lead.

Cornell answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning, but Soliz and Bertrand shut the door, not allowing the Rams to draw any closer.