INDIANAPOLIS - The Marian baseball team ended their home slate for the 2024 season with a pair of competitive losses on Saturday afternoon, falling to No. 18 Taylor twice on senior day. Marian drops to 21-22 overall on the season and 16-16 in the Crossroads League as they will enter their final series of the season.

Game 1 | Marian 9-12 Taylor
Taylor started the scoring in the game's opening inning, as a pair of walks and pair of balls hit to right field off of Davis Enfield helped the Trojans to a 2-0 lead. Marian attempted to rally as Josh Lamb and Rylan Huntley singled while Bryce Davenport walked to load the bases, but a pair of outs over four pitches ended the rally efforts. Enfield kept the Trojans scoreless over his next three innings, which included a three-up, three-down third inning, holding the Knights in the contest. The starting pitcher retired the side on strikeouts in the fourth inning after allowing a lead-off single.

Marian tried to replicate their formula in the first inning by getting runner's on base, but a two-out rally cry started by Huntley and Davenport went by with two men left on base. The Knights would get held scoreless again in the bottom of the fourth, and in the top of the fifth saw their deficit increase by three runs as Taylor posted three consecutive extra base hits with two outs. In the home half of the fifth the Knights broke their drought, as three singles to lead the inning resulted in a run as Johnny Roeder dropped a sacrifice fly into right field.

Jace Stoops entered the game to pitch in the sixth and opened his outing with a quick half inning, retiring the side in order. In the bottom of the inning the offense ignited, getting a jolt from Max Steffen's lead-off single. Caden Mason drew a walk and Josh Lamb recorded a hit to load the bases, and Kameron Salazar followed with a walk to bring in a run. The offense kept going with a sacrifice fly from Huntley, drawing Marian closer on the board as they scored their third run. The lead changed hands one pitch later, as Bryce Davenport tattooed a first pitch fastball from Jack Ross to deep center, launching his 12th home run of the season to give Marian a 6-5 lead. The Knights kept the bats rolling after a pitching change was forced, but two runners were left on.

The lead would be brief for Marian, as Taylor responded with their first four of their first men reaching base against Stoops, tying the game with a Brayden Manning RBI single. The next two batters Stoops faced reached on either a hit by pitch or walk, resulting in the game coming to an 8-6 Taylor lead. Deacon Spencer was called on to get out of the inning, but was unable to cleanly do so, giving up three inherited runs before the half inning closed, seeing the Trojans take an 11-6 lead. Marian would respond with one run in the home half as Rylan Huntley delivered an RBI single, ending the seventh in an 11-7 contest.

Taylor would add a 12th run to the board to increase their lead to five in the top of the eighth inning, with the score holding at 12-7. Marian trailed by the same amount in the bottom of the ninth inning, making one final rally cry with a Josh Lamb base hit. Salazar walked and Davenport was hit by a pitch to put a pair of men on, setting up Johnny Roeder who smoked a ball under Mason David's glove to drive in two. Trailing by three, Pierson Barnes hammered a pitch into right field, but the attempt to add to the lead was denied by a diving catch made by Drew Loy, ending the rally in a 12-9 defeat.

Lamb led Marian's offense, recording five of the 15 hits as he went 5-6 on the day. Huntley had four base hits, and Barnes recorded two base knocks. Davenport and Roeder led the team with three RBI each. On the mound, Stoops took the loss as he allowed six runs in 1.2 innings of relief. Enfield gave up three earned runs and five total scores, striking out seven. Mitchell Porter pitched the final inning, striking out one as he faced three batters. 

Game 2 | Marian 3-13 Taylor
Taylor pounced the Marian pitching staff early in the second act of the doubleheader, bringing in five runs in the first two innings against Seth Hogg. A dropped strike three in the opening inning would score Taylor's lone run in the first frame as a double play helped end the inning. In the second inning the Trojans put four on the board, slamming four base hits against the freshman starter. 

Hogg pitched out of a jam in the third inning and got a run back from his offense in the home half as Bryce Davenport collected an RBI groundout. The freshman's outing didn't last long after the third inning ended, as a lead-off walk ended his outing. Mitchell Porter was called on for the third time in the series, giving up a score to his inherited runner as he ended the sixth inning in a 6-1 contest.

The score held at 6-1 until the seventh inning, as Aden Burnside pitched back-to-back scoreless innings, trying to keep the Knights in the game. In the bottom of the fifth Marian managed to get two runners on base, but after chasing out starting pitcher Alec Holcomb, Dawson Estep flew out to right field to end the threat. The offense again came up short in the sixth inning as Jacob Dill's bunt single was left on base.

In the seventh inning Taylor ballooned their lead, as relievers Seth Risley and Hunter Reagan struggled to find the strike zone. The two pitchers combined to allow seven runs on just two hits, issuing a combined seven walks in the frame. Trailing 13-1 in their final at bats of the season from MU Ballpark, Davenport and Parker Watts reached on a free base and single. Pierson Barnes drew a walk, and Dawson Estep and Dill recorded RBI to drive the team's total to three runs, ending the scoring. A fly out off Caden Mason's bat would end the game, as Marian fell 13-3.

The team recorded six hits in the loss, getting one each from Lamb, Watts, Salazar, Huntley, Dill, and Mason. Barnes drew three walks in the loss. On the mound Hogg recorded his third loss of the year, throwing three innings with five hits andsix runs allowed. Porter and Burnside allowed a combined three hits in their three innings of relief work. 

Marian wraps their regular season next weekend, traveling to Huntington. The series begins on Friday, with game one scheduled for 3:00 p.m.

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