MOUNT VERNON, Iowa -- The Lawrence University baseball team swept a Midwest Conference doubleheader from Cornell College on Saturday at Ash Park Field.
    The Vikings romped to a 15-3 victory in the opener and then rallied for a 6-5 win in the second game. Lawrence took two of three in the series and has won 10 of its last 12.
    In the first game, the Vikings pounded out 19 hits and broke the contest open late with nine runs in the final two innings. 
    Edan Perez went 5-for-6 and scored a pair of runs for the Vikings, and he tied the Lawrence record for hits in a game. Lead-off hitter Parker Knoll was 4-for-6, scored four times and drove in a run. Jacob Charon went 2-for-4, drove in three runs and scored a pair of runs for Lawrence, and Jeffery Cambra, Spenser Ross and Mitchell Sandleback all went 2-for-5.
    Rookie infielder Alex Tanaka belted his first career homer and drove in three runs for the Vikings (15-7, 10-2 MWC).
    Jordan Schaefer put together six strong innings to pick up the victory for Lawrence. He allowed three runs, two earned, on nine hits while striking out six and walking one. 
    Lawrence led 6-3 before pulling away in the eighth and ninth. The Vikings had the bases loaded in the eighth and squeezed home a run for a 7-3 lead. Tanaka then came on as a pinch-hitter and smacked a three-run homer down the right field line for a 10-3 advantage.
    The Vikings removed any doubt with five more runs in the ninth. Charon singled to score Zach Leslie, and Perez followed with a double. After a wild pitch and passed ball, two more runs scored for a 13-3 lead. Ross later doubled to score Taylor Freeman, and Sandleback tacked on a sacrifice fly to score Ross for a 15-3 advantage.
    Jake Schope allowed six runs over the first five innings and took the loss for Cornell (10-17, 5-7).
    Both starting pitchers were solid in game two and neither figured in the decision. Elden Santana went 6.1 innings for the Vikings and allowed four runs, one earned, on four hits while striking out six with no walks. Cornell's Will Miller allowed four runs and six hits over eight innings.
    Lawrence struck first when Knoll homered to lead off the game, and the score stayed 1-0 until Cornell got a run in the bottom of the fifth. Lawrence took the lead back in the top of the sixth when Cambra singled and went all the way third on a bad pickoff throw by Miller. He then scored on a wild pitch and Lawrence led 2-1.
    The Vikings pushed the lead to 3-1 in the seventh when Jake Land was hit by a pitch and went to second on another throwing error on a pickoff attempt. Nick Heerde then doubled to score Land, and the Vikings were up by two.
    Cornell struck back for three runs in the bottom half of the inning to take a 4-3 lead. 
    Cambra got things started for Lawrence in the top of the eighth when he walked to start the inning. Leslie followed with a single, and Cambra then scored on a wild pitch to tie the game at 4-4. Lawrence pitcher Preston Anderson, who had come on in relief in the seventh, worked a perfect eighth to keep the game tied headed to the ninth.
    Cai Brevig came on in relief of Miller in the ninth, and Anderson picked up a one-out single to start the rally. Tanaka came on as a pinch-runner and moved to third on Heerde's single. Knoll then bounced into a fielder's choice to score Tanaka for a 5-4 lead. After Knoll stole second, Cambra singled to center to score the speedy Knoll for a 6-4 lead.
    Richie LaCien came on in the bottom of the ninth, and allowed a solo homer before closing the game out for his third save of the season. Anderson got the win to improve to 2-0.
    Heerde went 3-for-4, and Cambra was 2-for-4, scored two runs and drove in a run. Knoll drove in a pair of runs and scored twice. 
    Lawrence returns to action on Tuesday when the Vikings host Beloit College in a conference doubleheader.