INDIANAPOLIS - The Marian baseball team dropped their final scheduled non-conference game of the season on Tuesday afternoon, falling at home against IU-Kokomo in a 9-5 contest. Marian is 16-16 overall on the season with the loss.
The Knights used Tuesday's game as a bullpen outing, seeing nine pitchers take the mound on the day.
Jayson Cottrell opened the game, and pitched two strong innings to start play allowing just one unearned run. Cottrell's run came in the first inning on a throwing error with two outs, but a strikeout ended his first frame, while his second inning saw just four batters reach the plate.
In the home half of the first Marian scratched out two runs, with erratic pitching from Kokomo's starter Tyler Hensch giving Marian three early walks.
Kameron Salazar scored the first run of the game for Marian, while
Dawson Estep singled in a run to give Marian the lead. In the bottom of the second inning, the Knights plated two more, with one run coming off the bat of
Elijah Kelly's lead-off solo home run, while
Johnny Roeder would record an RBI fielder's choice to make the score 4-1.
Deacon Spencer hit an RBI sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third inning after the Knights received a scoreless top half from
Seth Risley, sending the game to the fourth in a 5-1 contest.
Andrew Neff made his Marian debut in the top of the fourth inning, giving up a run on one hit and three walks in his inning of work. In the fifth inning, IU-Kokomo took the lead as the game turned to
Hunter Reagan, as the reliever was unable to command the strike zone. Reagan allowed two hits and three free passes that scored three Cougars, forcing a call to the pen for
Aidan Bishop. Bishop got Marian out of the jam, getting a sacrifice fly out and line out to end the frame, however the Knights trailed 6-5 at the end of the frame.
Marian put together one scoring threat over the final four innings of the game, getting three runners to reach base in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Kameron Salazar doubled in the inning, while
Johnny Roeder and
Jacob Dill reached on free passes, however the Knights were unable to come up with a timely base hit following the passes, leaving two men on in the frame.
IU-Kokomo would score one run in the top of the sixth inning off
Justin Johnson to extend their lead to two runs, while in the seventh inning the Cougars drove in two runs on
Caden Bradley. The Knights pitching staff would finish the game strong, as
Carter King and
Mitchell Porter each faced the minimum as the relievers threw the eighth and ninth innings. Porter struck out the side in his inning of work, and in the bottom of the ninth Marian was unable to add to the base path after
Dawson Estep's lead-off single, ending the game in the 9-5 defeat.
Salazar and Estep each had two hits in the loss, with three other Knights accounting for the other three base hits. Salazar finished the game with a 2-3 line, walking twice. Cottrell allowed two hits and one unearned run in his two innings, while Risely, Bishop, King, and Porter did not allow a hit or run in their relief appearances. Neff and Cottrell each recorded two strikeouts in the game.
Marian is slated to end their week with a four-game series against Mount Vernon Nazarene, with games scheduled for Friday and Saturday, weather permitting.
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