Mount Vernon, Ohio - The Marian softball team added to their collection of hardware on Saturday afternoon, as they completed their Crossroads League Tournament run with a 6-4 victory over Taylor in extra innings to bring home the team's first tournament championship since 2017. Marian's championship ends the week with a perfect 3-0 record, moving Marian to 45-6 overall this season. 

Marian wasted no time scoring the game's opening run, as the Knights took advantage being the visiting team by driving in a score in the top of the first, with Savannah Harweger's lead-off single coming in on a base hit from Hayley Greene. Lightning struck again in the top of the second as the lineup card turned over, as Harweger powered a two-run home run to left field, jumping the Knights in front 3-0. 

Olivia Stunkel got the starting nod in the championship game and pitched an efficient first two frames to protect the lead, facing minimal damage as she stranded a runner in each of the two innings. In the third frame Stunkel left the ball over the plate one too many times, giving up four base hits in the frame that allowed Taylor to drive in three runs and tie the game. Stunkel got out of the jam and kept the game tied at 3-3, and picked up her second strikeout of the game one inning later to keep the game level going into the fifth inning.

In the fifth the offense reignited, as Harweger led off the frame with a single and stolen base, scoring on an RBI single from Abby Madere. The run pushed the Knights in front 4-3, but the game would back to a tie in the home half as Syndey Wilson entered the game to pitch, as back to back two-out doubles for the Trojans brought in a tying run. Wilson got a strikeout to get out of the inning, and kept the game even with a three-up, three-down inning in the sixth. 

The Knights made a rally cry to take the lead back in the top of the sixth but to no avail, as Caroline Roop's lead-off single was followed by a trifecta of quick outs. Marian would be retired in order in the seventh, leaving Wilson to get a scoreless frame to force extra innings. Wilson did just that by retiring the side in order to move the game into the eighth inning, keeping the game even at 4-4 entering extra innings. 

Both team's were held scoreless in the eighth inning as a single for Taylor put the lone base runner on, keeping the game even as it progressed to the ninth. In the top of the ninth Marian finally broke the three-inning draw, getting a lead-off single from Savannah Baker. Baker's single looked to be a lost cause as Taylor retired back to back batters, but with two outs a base hit from Anna Pritchett extended the frame. With a runner in scoring position for the first time since the fifth inning, Madere came back up to the plate, belting a double into right field to score her fellow freshmen, pushing the Knights in front 6-4. 

With a two-run lead in hand, Sydney Wilson wasted no time ending the championship, rolling over two groundouts in the bottom of the ninth inning to help close the Knights' 6-4 victory. Wilson picked up the win in the circle as she pitched the final five innings, allowing three hits and one run in her 20th win of the year, striking out three batters in the game. The win in the circle marked the second time in two weeks that Wilson pitched for a championship, closing out both the regular season and tournament championships in the Crossroads League. 

Harweger led Marian at the plate with a 3-5 game, scoring three runs with two RBI coming on her second inning home run. Madere was also 3-5 at the plate, driving in four runs to lead the team. Pritchett had a two-hit game for Marian, as the top-three batters in the lineup combined for eight of the team's 12 base hits.

Marian's Crossroads League Championships have earned an automatic bid to the NAIA Championships, with Marian hosting the NAIA Opening Round May 15-17. Marian will learn their opponents in the bracket on Tuesday, May 9, during the NAIA Selection Show.



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