Marion, Ind. - The Marian baseball team finished their series with Indiana Wesleyan on Saturday in a split, losing game one before rebounding with a game two win. Marian went 2-2 in the series against the Wildcats, moving to 16-15 overall on the year. The Knights hold fourth place in the Crossroads League standings at the week's end, holding a 12-8 league record.

GAME 1 | Marian 2-7 Indiana Wesleyan
Aden Burnside made a spot start for the Knights in the third game of the series, and struggled through his first inning of the game allowing three hits and two walks in the bottom of the first inning, yielding three runs. Burnside got a strikeout to get out of his self-inflicted bases-loaded jam, and threw two strong innings before exiting after the third, limiting the Wildcats to two hits and one run over the two innings.

The 4-0 hole after three complete innings came at the expense of a slow start at the plate, as the lone base runner for the Knights in the first three frames was a Zach Bale single in the first inning. Cole McManus attempted to jolt the offense in the fourth inning with his one-out double, but the Knights were unable to pick up the hit and score the team's first run. Eli Loichinger replaced Burnside on the hill in the fourth inning, and began his relief outing with a swift three-up, three-down frame. The freshman allowed a one-out double in the bottom of the fifth, and hit two batters before allowing a sacrifice fly, increasing the deficit to five runs. 

Trailing 5-0 entering the sixth inning, Marian broke their drought and strung together a pair of base hits, as Kameron Salazar singled and scored one batter later on Zach Bale's RBI double. In the seventh inning, Calvin Miller struck Marian one run closer on the board, ripping his second career home run. The solo blast made it a 5-2 game, but would be the closest the game would get, as the bats quieted over the final eight outs. Kameron Salazar singled in the top of the eighth inning, providing the final base runner in the game as the Indiana Wesleyan bullpen closed down any comeback efforts.

The Wildcats would strike twice in the bottom of the eighth inning against Dylan Holmes, increasing the lead to the final score of 7-2 with their two hits in the inning.

Burnside (0-2) took the loss on the mound, pitching three innings while allowing four runs and six hits. Loichinger pitched four innings in relief, allowing one run and one hit, and Holmes allowed two hits and two runs in his lone inning of relief. Offensively, Bale and Salazar each had two hits, with Bale recording an RBI with his double. 

GAME 2 | Marian 8-2 Indiana Wesleyan
In the series finale, Damien Wallace and Gabe Stout locked horns in the first inning as both starting pitchers retired the side in order. In the second inning, Josh Lamb broke up Stout's rhythm with a lead-off single, waking the bats with his hit. Johnny Roeder reached base as he was hit by a pitch, moving Lamb into scoring position. Lamb crossed the plate on Elijah Kelly's RBI single, while Nathan Pinarski followed with a two-RBI double to give the Knights an early 3-0 lead. 

On the other side, Wallace stayed perfect on the mound through the second inning with a quick three-up, three-down frame. Wallace walked the lead-off batter in the third inning, but quickly mowed through the Wildcat hitters as he stranded a runner with his variety of defensive outs. The Marian starter gained run support in the fourth inning as Hector Corona scored on a Wildcat error, and then protected the 4-0 lead as he brushed off a single in the fourth, facing the minimum. 

The lead extended once more in the fifth inning as Corona delivered an RBI single to bring home Zach Bale, and in the sixth inning the Knights delivered the finishing blow, as Zach Bale drew an RBI walk and Josh Lamb hit a sacrifice fly, scoring runs six and seven. Cole McManus scored on a wild pitch to cap the team's scoring for the day, pushing in the eighth run of the game. 

Indiana Wesleyan would manage two runs over the final two innings of the game, getting one on a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning against Wallace, and the other on a ground out in the bottom of the sixth. Wallace exited the game after six complete innings, turning the game over to Jace Stoops in the seventh. Stoops closed out the 8-2 win with a pair of strikeouts, sealing the series split. 

Wallace (1-0) earned his first win of the season, throwing six innings with two runs and four hits allowed. Corona went 2-3 and led the team in hits in the win, while Pinarski recorded a double and two of the team's six RBI.

The Knights return home to open a five-game home stand, beginning their upcoming week at MU Ballpark on April 1, hosting IU-Kokomo at 3:00 p.m.

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