Mount Vernon, Ohio - The Marian softball team kept in the hunt for the Crossroads League title on Wednesday afternoon, sweeping their doubleheader at Mt. Vernon Nazarene with 12-0 and 4-3 victories. The Knights are 39-9 overall on the season following the wins, remaining tied for first place with Indiana Wesleyan at 27-7 in CL games. Also highlighting the wins was Sierra Norman, who became Marian's career leader in RBI in game one.

Game 1 | Marian 12-0 Mt. Vernon Nazarene | 5 Innings
Olivia Stunkel and Sheridan Sullivan locked horns in the opening innings of Wednesday's first game, as the Knights and Cougars were held scoreless by the starting pitchers. Marian managed a walk to Savannah Harweger in the first inning and in the second inning three Knights reached base as Hayley Greene singled and Grace Meyer doubled, but Sullivan managed to end the inning with a zero on the board. Stunkel was near perfect as she started her outing, stranding an error in the home side of the first while getting the Cougars to go down in order in the bottom of the second.

In the third inning the Knights broke the drought with a pair of runs, as an Abby Madere single and walk to Sierra Norman ignited the offense, setting up Abbey Hofmann who tripled to center field to score both of her teammates. After a perfect inning from Stunkel in the third, Marian charged four more runs in the fourth, as Madere launched a grand slam to left, pushing the lead to six runs. Anna Pritchett and Brooke Knox singled while Harweger walked ahead of Madere, helping make the contest a 6-0 affair.

Stunkel tossed a flawless fourth, and in the fifth inning put the game to bed, driving home six runs on five hits, scoring each run with two outs. Lily Wendt started the final charge as she, Greene, and Pritchett recorded three consecutive base hits. A groundout would pick up the second out of the frame, but the runs started to score as Knox, Madere, and Sierra Norman each picked up an RBI with a walk or base hit. Grace Meyer capped the big inning with a triple to left field, clearing the bases to make it a 12-0 contest. In the final half inning Stunkel would yield her first hit of the game with one out, but ended the contest with a shutout as she forced two flyouts to right field.

The run-rule victory featured 12 hits for Marian, with Madere holding the strongest game going 3-4 with five RBI and three runs scored. Greene, Pritchett, and Meyer each had two hits in the win, with Meyer recording three RBI. Norman's walk in the fifth inning recorded her 204th career RBI, moving her into first place all-time at Marian as she passed Shelbie Stotts for the all-time lead.

In the circle, Olivia Stunkel recorded her 22nd win of the year, striking out three batters as she finished the complete-game shutout with one hit allowed.

Game 2 | Marian 4-3 Mt. Vernon Nazarene
Game two started in favor of the Cougars, as the home team scored a run in both the first and second inning against Macy Coan. The first run of the game for Mount Vernon came unearned as an error allowed Kiera Mayer to record an RBI single in the first inning, while in the second inning a pair of base hits drove in a second score. Coan settled into the game in the third inning as she stranded two runners on base, keeping Marian in the game after the offense left a runner on in the second and two in the third.

In the fourth inning the Knights were finally able to break through, getting life with a lead-off single from Sierra Norman. Grace Meyer would reach on a fielder's choice as Norman was out at second, but the rally effort continued with Abbey Hofmann singling to short, and Hayley Greene reaching on an error, scoring Meyer from second. Caroline Roop added to the party with an RBI single that scored Hofmann, and Savannah Harweger and Brooke Knox completed the rally effort with an RBI single and sacrifice fly, pushing their team in front by a 4-2 score. 

Coan continued to work in the circle after getting a lead, tossing a perfect fourth inning and stranding a pair of hits in the fifth, as a double play turned by Greene and Knox wrapped up the threat. The Knights attempted to pad their advantage in both the fifth and sixth innings, but would see the combined two hits and three walks get stranded, as they gripped their 4-2 lead.

The freshman pitcher delivered again for Marian in the home half of the sixth as she retired the side in order. The score remained 4-2 entering the bottom of the seventh as Mackenzie Dalton was left on base in the top half, and in the bottom the Cougars started a rally as they had a batter reach on an error. A pair of base hits would score a run with one out left to get, but Coan stayed composed in the circle, fielding a ground ball back to the circle to end the game as a 4-3 winner.

Marian recorded 10 hits at the plate in game two, with two coming from the bat of Pritchett, Harweger, and Meyer. Knox and Hofmann each had sacrifice hits in the win for Marian. The pitching duties were handled soley by Macy Coan, who picked up her ninth win on the season as she gave up one earned run and three total. The freshman allowed eight hits and picked up one strikeout. 

The Knights will conclude the regular season on Saturday afternoon, as they are scheduled to host Taylor University at 1:00 p.m. for their senior day doubleheader.

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