BEECH GROVE - The Marian baseball team improved their win streak to five Saturday afternoon, taking two games from IUPUC at Beech Grove High School. Marian dominated the opening game 19-10 leaving the yard three times, while coming back in the second game to win on a Caden Mason walk-off. The Knights improve to 5-2 on the year following the two-game sweep.
Game 1 | Marian 19-10 IUPUC
Marian pounced on the Crimson Pride in the first inning, getting a three-up, three-down effort out of Chris Adams to send the bats to the plate. A Jackson Hogg single opened the half inning, with a Rylan Huntley single and a walk to JJ Rivera loading the bases. Caden Jones drew a bases loaded walk, and Dion Wintjes tagged an RBI sacrifice fly to plate the second run of the game. Adams stranded two runners in the second and two in the third, restarting the offense as Huntley and Rivera tagged base hits. The bases loaded quickly after Rivera's double, and in his second at bat of the season Bryce Davenport hammered a grand slam, bringing in four runs to make it a 6-0 game.
Adams would yield a run in the top of the fourth inning as IUPUC executed a double steal, but Daniel Brenneman limited the damage getting a grounder to end the frame. The Knights responded with three runs in the home half of the fourth, getting an RBI groundout from Trey Heidlage while Rivera delivered a two RBI homerun to make the score a favorable 9-1 margin. Brenneman limited the Pride to just one base runner in the fifth, and Marian added two more as Hogg bombed a two RBI double to score both Johnny Roeder and Davenport.
The offense continued to add runs in each of the final three trips to the plate, getting four in the bottom of the sixth as AJ Bordenet delivered a three RBI homerun, doing so just one plate appearance after Roeder's RBI double. IUPUC would score five in the top of the seventh as Hunter Reagan and Nolan Macdonald pitched in the frame, with Macdonald getting out of the inning. Another two Marian runs came in the home half with Wintjes logging an RBI single, while Davenport recorded an RBI single of his own.
The final Marian runs of the game came from Wintjes in the bottom of the eighth, who delivered a two RBI double to score both Caden Mason and Rivera. IUPUC would bring in three runs in the ninth off of Jace Stoops with two coming on a home run, but the righty closed strong ending the game with a strikeout.
Marian had 21 hits in the game, getting three hits from Huntley, Hogg, Wintjes, and Rivera, with the outfielder logging one of the three home runs. Davenport had two hits, and led the team with five RBI. On the mound, Adams earned the win going 3.2 innings, striking out six batters in his outing. Brenneman had four strikeouts in his 2.1 innings of relief.
Game 2 | Marian 9-8 IUPUC
In the second game of the day, IUPUC came out with a strong offensive approach, driving home three runs with two coming on a home run against starter Craig Nixon in the top of the first inning. Nixon settled into the game in the second inning stranding two runners, with Marian getting a run back in the home half as Max Steffen launched a solo shot for his first home run as a Knight.
Nixon held the Crimson Pride scoreless stranding a runner in the top of the third while tossing a three-up, three-down fourth to keep the game a two-run margin. Steffen brought Marian within a run in the bottom of the fourth with RBI double to score Rivera, and after Nixon's perfect fifth, the Knights reclaimed the lead. Trey Heidlage kicked off the rally with a one-out single, and three batters later JJ Rivera delivered an RBI single. The bats continued to make solid contact, with Davenport and Wintjes tagging RBI singles to drive in two more runs.
The big inning drove Marian to their first lead in the second game with a 5-3 edge, but it would not stick long as Nixon gave up a three-run home run in the top of the sixth allowing IUPUC to take the lead back. Nixon was able to get out of the inning with a groundout, ending his day on the mound. After coming up without a run in the home half of the sixth, Marian turned to Michael Mates to pitch the seventh, but the senior was tagged for a two-run home run, unable to keep it a one-run contest.
Trailing 8-5 going into the bottom of the seventh and playing against the night sky, Marian worked quick with Jackson Hogg leading off with a single, while Rylan Huntley launched a two-run homerun to make it a one-run game. The dinger forced a pitching change, and the Knights continued to work as Davenport singled and Wintjes reached on an error. Steffen would walk to load the bases, setting up Caden Mason who delivered a walk-off two RBI double to win the game 9-8.
Mason's double was his lone-hit of the game, as he delivered his first walk-off hit as a Knight. Hogg led Marian with three hits, while Rivera, Davenport, and Steffen each had two hits. Mates claimed the win on the mound for his first of the season, while Nixon led Marian with five strikeouts as he did not factor into the pitching decision.
The Knights will complete their weekend on Sunday afternoon as they travel to Princeton, Indiana, to take on Oakland City in a two-game series.
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