Winfield-Mount Union/Columbus baseball would come up just short Friday night in a 7-4 loss to Pekin. The Wolves jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, but they would not score again until the final frame and could not rally all the way back from a five-run deficit.

Riley Kaalberg led the team with three hits, including a home run, and two runs batted in, while fellow senior Kohlby Newsom also scored a run and had a pair of base hits.

WMU/Columbus was coming off their first win of the season the night before, topping Louisa-Muscatine 11-1. A four-run outburst in the second put the Wolves up 5-1, and three runs in the fourth and a pair in the fifth would allow them to end the game early.

Newsom would lead the Winfield-Mount Union/Columbus lineup with two hits and two RBI, while junior Gavin Prior also had a pair driven in and sophomore Parker Wilson scored two runs.

Lane Genkinger tallied three runs, but his best work came on the mound. The senior pitched all five innings and allowed no earned runs on two hits and five walks.

The Wolves didn’t have the same luck Wednesday night against Burlington. Four runs in the first and fourth frames each were the big rallies that propelled the Grayhounds to a 12-4 victory.

Junior Tyson Kaalberg collected two knocks and scored twice for WMU/Columbus, while Wilson had one run knocked in and another scored to go with his pair of base hits.

The Wolves start the season with a record of 1-1 in the North division of the Southeast Iowa Super Conference and are 1-3 overall as they prepare for their next game Monday at Van Buren County.