GRINNELL — The Central College baseball team fell behind early and couldn't muster a comeback against Grinnell College Tuesday, losing 11-3.

The bulk of the Pioneers (13-19) offense came in a five-run third inning and a four-run fifth inning. Only five of the 11 runs were charged as earned runs towards the Dutch (15-21) pitching staff.

"The pitchers pitched a little better than they got credit for," coach Casey Klunder said. "We mishandled a few balls at the wrong time."

Wes Hamor (freshman, Tama, East Marshall HS) took the loss as the starting pitcher. He gave up three earned runs on six hits in 3.0 innings. Landon Thiele (junior, Moline, Ill.) pitched the middle innings, yielding two earned runs on six hits in 2.0 innings. Nathan McCombs (sophomore, Treynor) closed out the final 3.0 innings with four strikeouts and no runs allowed.

"That was probably the best outing of the year for Nathan," Klunder said. "He came in and did a really nice job to finish out the game for us."

Central had seven hits on the night, including two from third baseman Quinn Miller (senior, Cedar Rapids, Xavier HS).

"Quinn had a nice night," Klunder said. "He's been a real positive team leader for us it was nice to see him get a couple of hits."

Designated hitter Landon Vander Leest (senior, Pella) and second baseman Jared Kampf (senior, Peoria, Ariz., Mountain Ridge HS) each had RBI singles. Catcher Dom DeLaPaz (freshman, Davenport, West HS) added an RBI groundout.

Central closes out the season with a three-game series against Luther College, starting Friday at 3 p.m.

"I hope we play a little bit better than we did today," Klunder said. "You want to end on a high note for the six seniors playing in their last games but also to get some momentum heading into the offseason."