INDIANAPOLIS - The Marian baseball team earned their third series victory of the season on Monday, as the Knights split the afternoon with Mount Vernon Nazarene, winning game one before falling in the night cap. The Knights move to 19-17 on the season with the results, taking a 15-9 record in Crossroads League play into the week.

GAME 1 | Marian 10-3 Mount Vernon Nazarene
The Knights fell behind early in the third game of the series, as a pair of errors plagued Eli Loichinger's start with the freshman yielding a pair of unearned runs in the top of the first. Loichinger would bounce back in the second and third innings, neutralizing the Cougars as a pair of strikeouts helped the first-year pitcher keep the score 2-0.

Marian went three-up, three-down in the first two innings of the game offensively, not finding their groove until the third inning. Jacob Dill drew a one-out walk to produce the team's first base runner of the game, while Kameron Salazar and Johnny Roeder followed with free passes of their own. With two outs, Zach Bale delivered the first base hit of the game for either team, hammering a double up the left field alley to clear the bases and give the Knights a 3-2 lead. Loichinger continued to gel after the big hit from the first baseman as he pitched a scoreless fourth inning, and gained another run of support in the home half as Dill tagged a sacrifice fly to drive in Dawson Estep.

Leading 4-2 after four complete, the Knights pounded two more runs in the fifth, quickly loading the bases on walks and hit batters to set up Hector Corona. The freshman delivered a two-out, two-RBI single to push across runs five and six, giving his team a commanding 6-2 edge. Loichinger finished his strong outing with a four-batter sixth inning, retiring a sequence of six consecutive batters between the fourth and sixth innings.

The bullpen took over in the seventh inning, with Aden Burnside opening the frame with a lead-off walk. The southpaw settled into the game as he retired the next two batters, but fell into danger as he allowed a two-out bunt single. Justin Johnson got the call to record the last out of the inning, forcing a ground out to Bale at first base to end the threat and keep the lead. The offense would deliver to back the pitching staff in the bottom of the seventh, scoring the first of four runs on Dill's RBI ground out. Calvin Miller capped the Knights' scoring with a three-run home run, clanging the ball off the fair pole in right field to make the score 10-2 in favor of the Knights.

Chris Adams finished the game on the mound for the Knights, locking down the win with two innings of relief. Adams would allow an unearned run in the top of the eighth inning, but got help from his infield in the top of the ninth, as a double play helped pick up two of the final three outs in the 10-3 victory.

Bale led the Knights at the plate in the win, going 2-4 with three RBI and a walk. Miller plated three runs with his fourth home run of the season, and Corona had two RBI in his 1-3 game. Dill also recorded two RBI in Marian's win. On the mound, Eli Loichinger (2-1) recorded his second win of the season, pitching 6.0 innings with three strikeouts and two hits allowed. Both of the freshman pitchers' allowed runs were unearned, as was the run given up by Adams in the eighth. Adams logged three punchouts in the victory. 

GAME 2 | Marian 0-3 Mount Vernon Nazarene
Like the first game, Mount Vernon came out swinging in the top of the first inning, scoring two runs off the Knights starter Damien Wallace. The righty gave up two hits in the inning, both RBI singles that allowed the Cougars to take a 2-0 lead. The Cougars scratched another run in the top of the second inning, as a one-out single came around to score on a sacrifice fly, before Wallace recorded an inning-ending strikeout. Marian had their chances to try and match the three runs put up by the Cougars, but a two-hit first inning came up dry, while Reese Willoughby threw two strikeouts to spoil Hector Corona's single in the second.

Wallace settled into a rhythm after his first two innings, commanding the zone as he faced the minimum in both the third and fourth innings. The Knights sparked a rally effort in the bottom of the third inning as Kameron Salazar reached on a walk that was followed by a Zach Bale single, however Marian was unable to get a timely knock to score their first run. Hector Corona had a double get stranded in the fourth inning, and in the fifth inning Marian failed to score after Salazar reached on a lead-off error.

The Knights continued to get stellar pitching from Wallace in the fifth as he retired the side in order with a pair of flyouts, and in the sixth the senior turned the ball over to Jace Stoops. Stoops held the Cougars in check over the final two innings of the game, limiting Mount Vernon to just one base hit in the final six defensive outs. Trailing 3-0, Marian's best rally effort came in the bottom of the sixth inning when Calvin Miller singled and Corona reached on a one-out walk, but the Knights came up empty in seeking a run-producing hit. In their final chance in the seventh, Bale doubled with two outs to try and create late game magic, however Dawson Estep was unable to continue the game as he flew out to left, ending the game in the 3-0 loss.

Corona and Bale each had two hits in the game, with Corona going 2-2 in the outing with a walk. Salazar, Estep, and Miller each singled in the game. On the mound, Wallace (1-1) suffered his first loss of the campaign, pitching 5.0 innings with three hits and runs allowed, two of which were earned. Stoops pitched two scoreless innings, allowing one total base runner in his outing. 

Marian returns to action on Friday, as they open a four-game series at Bethel University.

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