INDIANAPOLIS - The Marian baseball team suffered a pair of losses Saturday afternoon at MU Ballpark, as the Knights were swept in their home opening doubleheader to Concordia (Mich.). Marian lost the twin bill by 9-6 and 9-7 scores, falling to 5-6 overall on the year after the two losses.
Game 1 | Concordia 9-6 Marian
Chris Adams got the Knights off to a good start with a perfect first inning, but in the second a pair of errors washed out two strikeouts and allowed the Cardinals to plate a pair of runs. Marian struck back with a run of their own in the bottom of the second, as Bryce Davenport drew a lead-off walk and scored on a sacrifice fly from Caden Mason. The Cardinals again added to their lead in the top of the third, as an error and two walks from Adams would help put runners on base. An RBI single and a third walk from the righty called for the end of Adams day, however reliever Joe Nelan was unable to cleanly save the inning as two additional runs crossed the plate under his watch.
Marian would come back in the bottom of the third with a run getting a lead-off hit from Jackson Hogg, who would later come in to score on an RBI single from Davenport. Nelan found his command in the fourth and tossed a scoreless from while adding two strikeouts to his totals, but in the fifth struggled with command. Concordia would get runners on via a pair of walks and a hit batter, scoring once on an errant throw and another on a pair of balls hit on the infield.
Trailing 8-2 going into the home half of the fifth, Marian found life with a lead-off walk drawn by Davenport, while Dion Wintjes singled to get the bats going. Caden Jones recorded an RBI single to score a run, and after a bunt single from Dawson Estep, Mason picked up another RBI with a sacrifice fly. Hogg would help score two more runs, reaching first on a fielder's choice while an error by the Cardinals' second baseman helped score two in the prolonged inning.
The score would remain 8-6 going into the ninth, as Nelan finished his outing with a strong sixth, while Daniel Brenneman came on in the seventh, stranding a runner in his first frame of work. Brenneman again left runners on in the eighth getting help from his infield, but would allow a run in the ninth as the Cardinals played small ball to bring in a score. Marian's bats would stay quiet while Brenneman kept his team in the game, stranding two runners in the bottom of the ninth ending the game in the 9-6 defeat.
Trey Heidlage was one of three players with two hits in the loss, joining Hogg and Estep. Heidlage and Rylan Huntley each drew three walks in the series opener. On the mound Adams was charged with the loss, throwing 2.1 innings. Nelan picked up three strikeouts in his 3.2 innings of relief, and Brenneman fanned two batters, allowing one hit in three innings of work.
Game 2 | Concordia 9-7 Marian
The Knights got off to a shaky start in the second act, as Craig Nixon struggled in his start, giving up three hits and three walks in two-thirds of an inning that allowed Concordia to score four runs. Marian would answer in the home half with a score after Justin Johnson got out of the top half, as Heidlage slammed a triple to left field, scoring on a Davenport single. Concordia would add a run to their total off Johnson in the second as the second-year pitcher had to get out of a three-walk hole.
Marian erased their four-run deficit over the next two innings, starting with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second as Estep and Heidlage recorded RBI singles to bring in two runs. In the bottom of the third, Davenport opened the frame with a double to right-center, coming around to score as an error on Dion Wintjes' ground ball was thrown away. Max Steffen would bring the game to a tie with an RBI single, evening the game at 5-5 after Wintjes crossed the plate.
Concordia's offense would find a run against Jace Stoops in the top of the fourth as a lead-off walk scored on an RBI double by Drew Fleming, but in the home half Marian stayed strong at the plate getting a one-out double from Jackson Hogg. Davenport roped a single to center field to put runner's on the corners, with both players eventually coming in to score on RBI singles by JJ Rivera and Rylan Huntley.
The first lead of the game for Marian would be short-lived, as Concordia responded to the two-run frame with two of their own in the top of the fifth inning, as an error on a squeeze play saw a pair of Cardinals touch the plate. Trailing 8-7, the Knights were unable to do anything with their at bats in the fifth and sixth innings, going down in order in back to back plate appearances. Logan Drook and Michael Mates would allow a run to score in the seventh as walks again hurt the Knights, and in their final chance at the plate the Knights stranded a runner, ending the game in a 9-7 loss.
Davenport led the Knights with three of their 10 hits, while Heidlage had two base hits in the game. Stoops suffered the loss on the mound, while Johnson had the longest outing throwing 2.1 innings in his season debut. Drook led Marian with three strikeouts in his 1.1 innings of work.
Marian will finish the series with Concordia on Sunday afternoon with a 12 p.m. contest. Following the nine-inning affair, Marian's developmental team will take on Concordia's reserves in a seven-inning contest.
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