UPLAND, Ind. – The Marian softball team wrapped up the regular season with a road sweep against Taylor. The Knights end the regular season with 42-6 overall and 31-5 in Crossroads League action after the season sweep of the Trojans.
Game 1 | Marian 8-7 Taylor
The Knights plated the game's first runs in the top of the second with Grace Meyer's double sending in Hayley Greene and Sierra Norman after both being walked. After advancing to third on a wild pitch, Savannah Baker hit the sacrifice fly to center field to bring in Meyer for the 3-0 lead.
Olivia Stunkel left one stranded in bottom half of the inning as she stayed perfect through the first two innings.
Savannah Harweger got things rolling in the top of the third with a bunt single before Abby Madere singled to left center. The hits kept coming as Marian padded their lead to six after Norman smacked a three-run homerun.
Taylor got their first hit in the bottom of the third inning, but a fly out to right field would end the third, leaving one stranded.
The bats stayed hot for the Knights with Brenna Fink singling before scoring on Baker's homer to left center to give her team the 8-0 advantage. The Trojans responded in the bottom part of the inning, scoring three runs with three hits.
Taylor's defense went one-two-three with the Knights before cutting their deficit to just two after firing off three more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. In an attempt to extend their lead back up, Marian could not execute as a runner would be stranded.
After an RBI double from the Trojans, the Marian lead was cut down to one going into the final inning of play. The Knights were unable to give themselves more cushion heading into the last half inning of the game. However, Jaylah Guilliam played the hero as she was able to record the save and give Marian the 8-7 victory.
In Marian's eight hits, Harweger and Baker led with two, while four other Knights recorded a hit. Norman and Baker each had one homerun, and Meyer added a double in the win. In the RBI category, it was Baker and Norman leading the way with three, with Meyer adding a pair. Stunkel picked up the win, pitching three innings and giving up just one hit, while Guilliam recorded the save in her three innings. Abigail McPherson also pitched an inning for the Knights.
Game 2 | Marian 6-1 Taylor
Marian got off to a start to begin game two with Madere hitting the RBI single to center field for the first run of the game. Norman extended the Knights' lead to 3-0 after notching her second homerun of the day with the two-run bomb to center. Sydney Wilson and her defense picked up the double play for the second and third out of the inning, leaving one stranded on after the first inning.
Wilson went three up three down with the next Trojan batters before Marian tacked on another run after Madere's solo homerun. After a scoreless fourth inning, the Knights had a good chance to add a score in top half of the fifth, but Taylor got the strikeout to leave two Marian runners on base.
The Trojans finally answered in the bottom half of the sixth inning with a solo homerun to cut their deficit to three runs. However, Mackenzie Dalton singled to left field before scoring on Harweger's two-run homerun, extending the Knights' lead to 6-1. Wilson would finish off the bottom of the seventh inning to pick up her 18th win of the season, guiding Marian to the 6-1 victory.
Norman led Marian with three hits, with Harweger and Madere adding two apiece. Dalton, Anna Pritchett, and Meyer also recorded a hit in the win. Harweger, Madere, and Norman each notched a homerun, while each picked up two RBI. Wilson tossed all seven innings, dishing out three strikeouts and giving up only one run.
Marian will begin the postseason next week with the Crossroads League Tournament Wednesday-Friday. The tournament will be hosted by Mt. Vernon Nazarene.
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