Mount Vernon, Ohio - Backed by a strong pitching performance from Davis Enfield and a quartet of home runs, the Marian baseball team earned a game one win on Tuesday against Mt. Vernon Nazarene, before suffering a one-run setback in game two. Marian's split against the Cougars gives them an overall record of 18-17 and a 13-11 mark against the Crossroads League.

Game 1 | Marian 9-5 Mt. Vernon Nazarene
Marian wasted little time finding their offense in game one of the mid-week doubleheader, putting up five runs in the opening inning of the game. Rylan Huntley and Kameron Salazar opened the game with base hits, and after Bryce Davenport walked, Josh Lamb dented the scoreboard with a sacrifice fly. Johnny Roeder and Dawson Estep followed with the damaging blows, going back to back with home runs, as Roeder cleared the yard with a three-run shot, while Estep's solo home run capped the 5-0 start.

Davis Enfield made the start on the hill in his return from injury, and settled into the game smoothly as he made his first appearance in six weeks. A solo home run would spoil a strong start for Enfield in the first inning, but the pitcher closed the frame with a groundout. Mount Vernon would manage a pair of doubles in their second trip to the plate, but Enfield capped the damage at one run with a flyout ending the frame. Marian gave their pitcher support in the top of the third, as Bryce Davenport and Josh Lamb tattooed back to back solo home runs, pushing the lead back to five runs.

Enfield took over the game after the pair of home runs, pitching four consecutive scoreless innings, starting with a strong third in which he stranded a pair of runners. The right-handed pitcher fired back with flawless fourth and fifth innings, and in the sixth inning scattered a walk to hold the 7-2 lead. Marian manufactured a run in the top of the seventh with Kameron Salazar blasting an RBI single, which played critical support in the late stages, as Enfield would surrender three runs in the home half of the inning.

Leading 8-5, Enfield pitched one final inning, allowing two men to reach base in the eighth, but standing tall on the mound as he prevented either man from scoring. Marian tacked on one more in the top of the ninth with Salazar driving home Rylan Huntley for the second time in three innings, capping the scoring in the win. Deacon Spencer closed the contest on the mound, facing the minimum in the ninth as his defense turned a double play for two of the final three outs, sealing the 9-5 victory.

Enfield showed some signs of rust in his return to the mound, but in all commanded on the hill, pitching 8.0 innings in the win. The righty allowed eight hits and five runs, pitching five strikeouts in the outing. Spencer allowed a single in relief, but a double play aided the second-year Knight as he threw just nine pitches. Offensively, Huntley and Salazar each had four hits, going 4-5 each. Hutley scored three runs, matching Roeder's RBI total in the game. Estep had two hits including his home run, and Lamb and Davenport's lone hits were home runs. 

Game 2 | Marian 7-8 Mt. Vernon Nazarene
The second act of the twin bill went back and forth, as the Knights and Cougars traded runs in bunches when the scoring started. Jace Stoops started the second game as Marian tapped into the bullpen for their sixth game in four days, and the fourth-year opened well with a scoreless first inning. His offense provided the fireworks in the second, as Pierson Barnes drove in three runs with a home run, taking Marian on top 3-0. One Cougar hitter would reach base against Stoops in his fifth career start, but no damage took place as he stranded a runner.

The Knights missed an opportunity in the third as they loaded the bases but came away empty-handed, biting the team in the home half as Stoops gave up three hits, which resulted in four runs scoring. Jayson Cottrell picked up the final two outs of the inning, with one inherited run scoring as Mt. Vernon executed a safety squeeze.

The lead would be short-lived, as Marian tied the game in the next half inning, as Dawson Estep scored on a wild pitch to level the score 4-4. Cottrell tossed a scoreless fourth inning, and in the fifth reclaimed the lead as Rylan Huntley posted a two-RBI double that scored Caden Mason and Nathan Pinarski. In the home half of the fifth, Cottrell walked the lead-off man calling on the bullpen once more, as Garrett West appeared. Josh Lamb immediately caught the inherited runner stealing to get the southpaw off the hook, but West had struggles, giving up three two-out hits to allow the Cougars to reclaim a one-run lead.

Now trailing 7-6, Barnes delivered for his team in the sixth, driving home Pinarski with an RBI single, evening the game once more. West battled on the hill for the first two outs of the sixth as he looked to keep the score tied entering seventh, but came one batter short of execution, as a solo home run with two outs would prove to be the game-winning run. Marian grounded out three times in the seventh inning, coming up short as they fell 8-7.

The Knights had 10 hits in the loss, with Lamb going 3-4 at the plate. Barnes and Kameron Salazar each had two hits in the game, while Rylan Huntley, Parker Watts, and Bryce Davenport had one each. West suffered the loss on the mound, giving up four runs and five hits in two innings pitched. Stoops was responsible for four runs in his 2.1 innings, giving up four hits. Cottrell allowed two hits and one inherited run to score, recording five outs. Each pitcher had one strikeout. 

Marian opens a four-game series with Bethel this Friday, taking on the Pilots with game one of the weekend set at 1:00 p.m. Marian and Bethel will play Friday's doubleheader on the ISC Sports Network.

MUKnights.com: Your online source for Marian Athletics, tickets, multimedia, Knight merchandise, photos and more.