Upland, Ind. - After falling into an 8-0 hole in the first three innings Saturday, the Marian baseball team put their rally caps on, chipping away until a three-run seventh inning gave them a lead in a thrilling come-from-behind 10-8 win over Huntington. Marian's second win in the elimination bracket of the Crossroads League Tournament gives Marian a 25-26 overall record, sitting one game away from the tournament championship.

Noah Arbuckle of Huntington and Jace Stoops of Marian battled through a scoreless first inning, but in the second Stoops got beat up with three base hits that pulled in two runs for the Foresters. Marian aimed to get out of the inning, but a throwing error extended the inning with Huntington scoring two more runs, leading 4-0 after two innings. The Knights attempted to get back into the fold in the top of the third, but saw two base hits get stranded on base. Huntington would capitalize off their defensive stand, driving home four runs against Stoops in the bottom of the inning. Stoops would be lifted from the game after two of four runs scored in place of Davis Enfield, who would get out of the inning after giving up a two-run base hit.

Trailing 8-0 after three complete innings, Marian began to mount a comeback effort in the top of the fourth inning, as Bryce Davenport launched a powerful two-run home run to center field, pushing two runs in for his team after a Pierson Barnes walk. Davis Enfield threw strong after getting a clean base path, ending a threat of two runners with an inning-ending double play. The Knights would continue to chip away as the game moved into the fifth inning, bringing home two more runs as Josh Lamb ripped an RBI single to left field, and following a Kameron Salazar hit, Rylan Huntley delivered an RBI knock to put Marian within four runs.

Enfield pitched a three-up, three-down frame in the fifth inning as he continued to work strong out of the bullpen, and in the top of the sixth inning saw his offense bring the game closer as Dawson Estep followed singles by Johnny Roeder and Max Steffen with a two RBI double. Estep's rip to left-center made the game an 8-6 contest, ending Arbuckle's outing. Adam Oxley would get the Foresters out of the inning, but after another dominant inning from Enfield in the bottom of the sixth, the Knights attacked the Huntington reliever.

Kameron Salazar drew a walk to start the final push, and moved up to second after Rylan Huntley's single. Pierson Barnes drove home Salazar with an RBI single, and after Huntley moved up to third base, Bryce Davenport was able to score a run with his RBI fielder's choice, tying the game 8-8. Huntington went back to the bullpen with RJ Anglin, but he was not able to end the rally effort, as Dawson Estep scored Davenport from second base with an RBI single, giving Marian a 9-8 lead.

With the lead at hand for the first time, Enfield continued to groove, firing another perfect inning as the side was retired in order in the bottom of the seventh. Pierson Barnes added an insurance run for Marian in the top of the eighth with an RBI double off the right field fence, pushing the lead to two runs. Enfield recorded two strikeouts to complete a perfect eighth inning, and in the bottom of the ninth ended his remarkable relief outing with a perfect ninth, closing the 10-8 comeback victory over Huntington.

Enfield's brilliance led Marian to a win, as his fifth win of the season was capped by retiring the final 16 batters he faced in a row. Enfield allowed three total runners to reach base and gave up two hits and one walk, pitching 6.2 innings of relief with seven strikeouts. Stoops took a no-decision in the win, allowing six hits and three earned runs with eight total Foresters crossing the plate.

Offensively, Marian had 15 hits in their comeback, with five players putting up multi-hit games. Barnes led the team with three hits and two RBI, while Davenport tied for a team-best three RBI. Estep, Huntley, Roeder, and Steffen each had two hits, as the four players combined to drive in four of the 10 runs. 

Marian will play again on Monday as they advance in the bracket, taking on either St. Francis or Taylor as the final three teams emerge in the CL Tournament bracket. If St. Francis wins against Taylor on Saturday, the Knights will have to earn two wins Monday, starting at 3:00 p.m., to take the title, while if Taylor wins, the Knights will play St. Francis in a semifinal game to reach the title contest.

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