INDIANAPOLIS – The Marian softball team has won their ninth straight Crossroads League Regular Season Championship after sweeping No. 25-ranked Mt. Vernon Nazarene in a CL twin bill on Tuesday afternoon. With the win the Knights improve to 40-6 on the year and 29-5 in league action.
Game 1 | Marian 8-3 Mt. Vernon Nazarene
Marian wasted no time getting their bats going by knocking off three runs in the first inning with Abby Madere and Brenna Fink each registering a single to get started. Mt. Vernon answered in the top half of the second after an RBI single, but it was Madere again with a single through the left side to send in Savannah Harweger.
Olivia Stunkel worked through the Cougars in the top of the third before the Knights tacked on another run in the bottom half of the inning behind Fink's RBI single. A quick three up three down continued Marian's momentum as Hayley Greene hit the two-run homerun to left field to make it a 7-1 Knight lead.
The Cougars found another run, but the Knights responded as Savannah Baker hit the solo bomb to left center, smoking the scoreboard as she padded onto the Marian lead in the bottom of the fifth inning. After Stunkel struck out the first batter in the top of the sixth, MVNU responded with a one-run homer to cut at their deficit.
A scoreless sixth inning for the Knights gave the Cougars one last chance to claw their way back, but the Marian defense proved to seal the win as they took game one with the 8-3 victory.
In Marian's 11 hits, Madere, Greene, and Fink all picked up two hits and two RBI, while five other Knights recorded one. Baker and Greene each had a homerun in the win. Stunkel picked up her 20th win after pitching all seven innings, recording three strikeouts and giving up three runs.
Game 2 | Marian 2-0 Mt. Vernon Nazarene
Sydney Wilson was dishing out from the start as she struck out three and gave up no hits in the first three, while Marian got on top 1-0 after Anna Pritchett knocked an RBI single up the middle to score Harweger in the bottom of the first inning.
The bats cooled off for both teams in the next four innings, with the Knights recording the two hits to Mt. Vernon's one. Sierra Norman got things rolling again for Marian in the bottom of the sixth as she singled to center field. After the sacrifice bunt by Hayley Greene, Abbi Wirey was able to advance after pinch running for Norman. Wirey would eventually score after Grace Meyer nailed a double that banged off the left center fence to take the 2-0 advantage.
In a last effort attempt to continue the game, the Cougars tried to make a comeback but it was Wilson striking out two and Harweger catching the foul out to the end the game 2-0 with the Knights on top.
Harweger and Pritchett led Marian with a pair of hits, while Pritchett notched the RBI. Norman and Meyer each recorded a hit, with Meyer picking up the RBI double. Wilson was phenomenal in the win, striking out seven and not giving up a single run. Wilson moves to 17-3 on the year after today's win.
Marian will finish out the regular season on Saturday at Taylor with a 3 p.m. doubleheader.
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