Millington, Tenn. - The Marian baseball team began their 2023 campaign Sunday afternoon in the greater Memphis area, suffering a pair of defeats to Culver Stockton and NAIA No. 6 Faulkner. Marian had several quality performances both on the mound and at the plate on opening day despite the pair of losses, with a late surge coming up empty against Faulkner. 

Game 1 | Culver-Stockton 5-4 Marian

The Knights came out of the gate strong to open the season getting runners in scoring position in the opening frame, but came up short of a score as Trey Heidlage was left at third. Chris Adams made his first collegiate start on the mound in the season opener, and started strong as he worked around a two-out single with an inning-ending punchout. Adams was nearly flawless in his second frame, stranding a walk with a strikeout and groundout to close the frame.

Kameron Salazar woke up the bats with a single in the second inning, and in the third the hits kept coming with Heidlage starting the party with a leadoff hit. Rylan Huntley followed with a double, and JJ Rivera gave Marian their first run of the season with an RBI single. Caden Jones made noise with his second at bat, returning to the field after missing 2022 with a two-RBI single to tack on two more, and Jackson Hogg closed the scoring with an RBI base hit. The four runs were answered in the bottom of the frame as Adams gave up a pair of hits, with an error in the outfield allowing the Wildcats to get on the board. Damien Wallace relieved Adams, and was issued a balk that gave up the second Culver run before getting three consecutive outs to close the inning.

Wallace bounced back on the mound with a flawless fourth inning that featured two strikeouts, but in the fifth the righty was tagged for three hits, yielding three runs as Culver-Stockton took a 5-4 lead. The score would remain the same entering the seventh, and in their final chance to tie got a base runner as Dion Wintjes reached on an error. Tyler Walkup pinch ran for the catcher, and would reach third on a wild pitch and groundout, but a final infield out would halt the comeback attempt.

In the opening defeat, Salazar and Heidlage led Marian with two hits each, as the Knights combined for eight total base hits. Adams struck out two batters in his two innings of work, allowing three hits and two runs, one of which was earned. Wallace took the loss allowing three runs and three hits, but led the team with three strikeouts. Michael Mates pitched a scoreless sixth inning, fanning one of his four batters faced.

Game 2 | No. 6 Faulkner 9-6 Marian

The Eagles jumped on game-two starter Vince Bonanni in the top of the first inning, roughing up the right-hander for two runs on one hit. Bonanni allowed two more runs in the second as the Eagles pushed their total to four, but the righty was able to close the frame strong getting two strikeouts in his final three batters faced.

Marian's offense came back to life in the home half of the second, getting two free runners in a walk to Jones and Wintjes getting plunked. A Salazar single would load the bases, with a wild pitch scoring Jones soon after. Max Steffen recorded an RBI groundout, and Caden Mason made it a one score game with an RBI double that scored Salazar. 

Faulkner struck for two more runs in the third, with reliever Joe Nelan allowing two base hits that led to scores. Marian would get one back in the bottom of the frame with Jones lacing a sacrifice fly to the outfield scoring JJ Rivera, who led the inning with a double. The Knights would enter the fourth trailing 6-4, but could not stop the Eagles as Nelan surrendered three runs on three hits and two walks. Craig Nixon got out of the inning with a groundout, as the Knights fell behind 9-4.

In the bottom of the fifth the Knights scratched out another run with Steffen roping a bases-loaded RBI single, but the scoring chances came dry as three Knights were held on base. Nixon and Taylor Soper held the Eagles at bay with just two runners seeing a base in the sixth and the seventh, with Marian trailing by four in their last at bats.

In the bottom of the seventh, Wintjes started a rally with a lead-off single, while Salazar followed suit with a base hit of his own. The pair moved up bases on a fielder's choice, and Mason drove home Wintjes with an RBI base hit. Trailing by three with the bases loaded, Marian came up empty in their attempt to tie as three consecutive flyouts ended the game.

Marian out-hit the sixth-ranked Eagles 12-8 in the weekend finale, with Rivera leading the team with three hits, while Hogg, Mason, and Salazar each had a pair. Nixon and Soper combined for 3.1 innings of one-hit baseball, with Nixon recording four strikeouts in eight at bats.

Marian will be back on the road for their next series, playing a four-game set at Tougaloo College in Jackson, Miss., starting on Saturday, February 11.

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