APPLETON, Wis. -- The Lawrence University baseball team swept a Midwest Conference doubleheader from Knox College on Sunday and earned a berth in the four-team league tournament in the process.
    The Vikings defeated Knox 4-0 in the opener, and Lawrence posted a 9-7 victory in the nightcap.
    This is the first berth in the tournament since 2018 for the Vikings, who are currently alone in first place. Lawrence (21-10, 16-5 MWC) also tied the season record for wins in a season with 21, which matches the 1977 squad that went 21-10.
    In the opener, Lawrence rode the pitching of starter Michael Duttlinger, who tossed a four-hit shutout. Duttlinger, who allowed just four singles, struck out nine and walked one to improve to 2-1 on the season.
    Taylor Freeman went 3-for-4 with two doubles and drove in a run for the Vikings, and Parker Knoll went 2-for-4.
    Lawrence broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fourth when they scratched out a run against Knox starter Nick Henning. Edan Perez got the inning started with a one-out walk, and Freeman followed with a double to put runners at second and third. Spenser Ross' fly ball into center field was caught on a diving grab by shortstop Evan Laws. Perez tagged and scored before Laws was able to double-off Freeman at second base.
    Lawrence added a run in the fifth when after Mitchell Sandleback was hit by a pitch and Knoll singled. Those runners were at second and third when Zach Leslie's sacrifice fly scored Sandleback for a 2-0 lead. 
    The Vikings got a pair of insurance runs against reliever Jacob Ripple in the eighth. Leslie got the rally started after he was hit by a pitch, and Jacob Charon followed with a single. Edan Perez's bunt single, coupled with a throwing error, allowed Leslie to score. Freeman followed with a check-swing infield single to score Charon for a 4-0 lead.
    Duttlinger then worked a 1-2-3 ninth to close out the victory.
    In the second game, Jeffery Cambra went 3-for-5 with a double and drove in three runs for the Vikings. Preston Anderson went 3-for-4 and drove in a run, and Charon blasted his 17th homer of the season, a three-run shot, and scored twice. Colin Wieska went 2-for-4 with a double and drove in a run for Lawrence.
    The Vikings got another standout starting performance as Elden Santana went six strong innings. He allowed just two hits, struck out seven and walked three to improve to 2-2 on the season.
    Lawrence trailed 2-0 after Braden Ogden hit a two-run homer for Knox (6-25, 4-16) in the second. The Vikings got a run back in the bottom half of the inning when Charon walked and later scored on Anderson's single.
    The Vikings grabbed the lead in the third after Cambra singled and Leslie was hit by a pitch. Charon followed with a towering home run to center field and Lawrence led 4-2.
    Lawrence tacked on runs in the fourth and fifth to expand the lead. Wieska singled to start the rally in the fourth and later scored on Knoll's sacrifice fly. Ross reached on a fielder's choice and scored on Wieska's double for a 6-2 lead.
    After Knox trimmed the lead to 6-3 in the top of the seventh, the Vikings struck for three in the bottom half of the inning. The Vikings loaded the bases when Cambra belted a bases-clearing double to right center for a 9-3 edge.
    Knox rallied for four runs in the ninth against a pair of Lawrence relievers before Anderson got pinch-hitter Chase Thies to pop up to close out the game.
    Lawrence travels to the University of Chicago for a three-game series to close out the regular season next weekend.