GRINNELL, Iowa -- The Lawrence University baseball team went on a record-setting home run binge on Sunday, and the Vikings needed every long ball to secure a Midwest Conference doubleheader split at Grinnell College.
    Lawrence hit a school-record seven homers in the nightcap with three coming off the bat of Edan Perez to also tie the school record in an 18-17 victory. Seven of Lawrence's nine hits in the game ended up over the fence. Lawrence broke the record of six homers hit against Ripon College last season. Grinnell won the opener 4-0.
    Perez went 3-for-6, scored three runs and drove in a career-best seven runs. Perez's three home runs ties the record held by Kevin Fitzsimmons, who did it last in 2006, Elliot Stith (1994) and Lawrence Hall of Famer Steve Blomberg (1972). The seven RBIs ties the third-most in a game in Lawrence history.
    Lawrence's Jacob Charon went 3-for-5, hit a pair of homers and drove in six runs. Parker Knoll also homered, scored four runs and drove in a pair for the Vikings. Stephaune Haylock hit a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the ninth to complete the long ball barrage.
    Shane Foley worked the final two innings to pick up his first victory of the season. He struck out five and didn't walk a batter.
    Lawrence (5-9, 1-2 MWC) trailed 5-0 heading to the third when the Vikings battled back. Knoll hit a two-run homer after Jake Land walked to get the Vikings on the board, and Charon smacked a two-run homer later in the frame after Zach Leslie walked to cut the lead to 5-4.
    The Vikings were down 6-4 when they scored four times in the top of the fifth. After the Vikings loaded the bases on three walks, Charon's sacrifice fly scored Knoll. Perez followed with a three-run blast, and Lawrence led 8-6.
    Grinnell scored six times in the bottom half of the inning to grab a 12-8 lead. 
    Lawrence trimmed the lead to 12-11 after scoring three times in the sixth. Knoll and Taylor Freeman both walked, and Charon smashed a three-run homer to cut the lead to one. 
    The Vikings tied the game at 12-12 in the seventh without a hit as three walks and a pair of wild pitches scored a run. Perez then led off the eighth with a homer, and the Vikings were up 13-12.
    Grinnell (6-12, 3-4) then scored five times in the bottom of the eighth to grab a 17-13 lead. 
    Knoll started the top of the ninth with a walk, but two quick outs had the Vikings with their backs to the wall. Charon followed with a single to keep the inning alive, and Perez then gave it a jolt of power. Perez blasted a three-run homer to trim the lead to 17-16. 
    Mitchell Sandleback then reached on an error, and Haylock came on to pinch-hit. He belted a two-run homer to give Lawrence an 18-17 lead. 
    Foley then made quick work of the Pioneers in the bottom of the ninth with a pair of strikeouts looking and a groundout to end it.
    The opener featured multiple quality pitching performances and was played in a tidy 2 hours and 8 minutes.
    Grinnell was clinging to a 1-0 lead when the Pioneers got a three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh. Lawrence starter Elden Santana allowed three runs on four hits, struck out 12 and walked just two to take a tough loss. Grinnell starter Jake Hull combined with relievers Jakob Runkel and Ian Feld to limit Lawrence to six hits. The Vikings stranded nine runners in the contest.