Fort Wayne, Ind. - The Marian baseball team won its Crossroads League opening game on Friday afternoon, taking down the Saint Francis Cougars 17-10 in game one of the weekend's four-game set. The lengthy four-hour contest forced a suspension of play in game two of the Friday doubleheader, in which Marian was leading 9-4 entering the seventh inning. Marian is 6-3 overall on the season following the game one victory.

Game One | Marian 17-10 Saint Francis
The Knights wasted little time taking advantage of the Saint Francis pitching staff, carefully waiting for their pitch in the opening innings as they attacked one of the worst pitching staff's in the conference. In the first inning, the Knights racked up four base hits, three of which were doubles, resulting in four runs crossing the plate. Landon Sarkey, Hector Corona, and Cole McManus each had an RBI double in the first, and Calvin Miller scored on a passed ball, setting up a quick 4-0 lead. Marian then patiently owned the plate in the second inning, as they were able to drive home seven runs on three base hits. Corona again provided a jolt with a two-RBI double, and Nathan Pinarski, who began the inning with a single, slammed a bases-clearing double to cap the second inning fireworks, driving the Knights to an 11-0 lead.

Marian's runs in the first two innings alone would be enough to win the game, but the team would continue to find ways to score, plating two more runs in the third inning, while in the top of the fifth, three more Knights scored, this time off the bat of Calvin Miller, as the sophomore hammered a three-run home run. 

Miller's home run gave the Knights a 16-1 lead, which was earned after the work of starting pitcher Chris Adams. The senior had his best outing of the season on Friday, working a quick first inning that featured a pair of strikeouts, while in the second, the pitcher saw his defense turn a double play to end the frame after he issued a pair of walks. The Cougars would score their lone run off Adams in the third inning, as a lead-off hit batter came around to score on a single from Xavier Nolan. The Marian pitcher brushed off the hit, and forced a pair of pop outs to Tate Bender at second base to end the inning, while in the fourth, the senior faced the minimum and picked up two more strikeouts.

Adams would finish the fifth and sixth innings in the same style, backing up the 16-1 lead with a pair of inning-ending double plays. Marian's starter exited the game after the sixth inning with the Knights in position to run-rule, however, the bullpen would be unsuccessful in ending the game early, as Isaac Kramer and Corbin Wells struggled to find the strike zone in the seventh inning. The two pitchers combined to allow seven runs, walking five batters and allowing three base hits, which allowed the Cougars to extend the game as they brought their total to eight. Playing the full game would allow Marian to score again, as River Pecina recorded an RBI sacrifice fly in the top of the eighth inning to make it a 17-8 game, but the Cougars would again respond with a pair of runs scored off Deacon Spencer. 

Mitchell Porter would shut the game down in the ninth inning, working around three base hits as he notched a pair of strikeouts, finishing off the 17-10 game.

Offensively, Marian had 11 base hits in the win, and drew 15 walks against the Cougars pitching staff. Corona led the team with his 2-3 outing, picking up three RBI, four runs scored, and three walks. Miller scored twice and walked one as he collected three RBI with his home run, and Nathan Pinarski had a 2-5 game, recording three RBI. 

Adams (2-1), was the star of the pitching staff Friday, allowing one hit and one run in six innings of work. The senior recorded five strikeouts to add to his team-lead this season.

Game Two | Marian 9-4 Saint Francis
The Knights wasted no time scoring runs in their second game of the series, breaking out the drivers twice in the first inning as Brayden Coffey and Aiden Kerr each belted home runs. Coffey's home run was a solo shot on the first pitch of the game, while Kerr's was a three-run blast. The home runs helped the team capture a 5-0 lead, but unlike in game one, the lead would be tested early, as Evan Cooke struggled to find the zone, as two lead-off walks came in to score in the first inning. Marian was held scoreless in the second, and in the bottom of the inning, the Cougars took advantage of another free pass, bringing home two runs on Xavier Nolan's two-run home run.

The score stood at 5-4 after the home run, and stayed intact until the sixth inning, when Marian would break the game open once again. Cooke was able to settle into the game after his rough start, protecting the lead he pitched into an inning-ending double play in the third, while in the fourth, a pair of strikeouts stranded a lead-off walk. Cooke would pitch a flawless fifth inning, retiring the side in order, allowing the offense to awaken from its slumber in the sixth.

Hector Corona led off the sixth inning attack with a walk, needing little time to make his way home as River Pecina barreled a two-run home run, extending Marian's lead to three. Johnny Roeder followed with a double that forced a pitching change, and immediately following the change, Aiden Kerr struck again, launching his second home run of the game as the two-run blast gave the Knights a 9-4 lead. Kerr's home run in the sixth inning was the second of his career, as he recorded his first multi-home run game. With a lead in hand, Cooke quickly mowed down Cougar batters in the sixth, forcing three outs in four batters to move the game to the seventh inning.

Leading 9-4, the game was suspended entering the final inning on Friday night due to insufficient lighting and loss of daylight in Fort Wayne. Play resumed in Indianapolis 14-hours later ahead of the originally scheduled Saturday doubleheader, and in the Marian added to their lead as Aiden Kerr belted his third home run of the elongated game, giving the Knights 11 runs in the contest. Mitchell Porter finished the mound, allowing one run in the seventh inning on two hits before ending the contest in an 11-5 win.

Cooke (2-0) logged the win in the game, allowing two hits and four runs in 6.0 innings of work. The first-year Knights recorded six strikeouts in the win. Offensively, Kerr was the hero at the plate, logging his first-career three-home run game. Kerr ended the game 3-4 with seven RBI and three runs. Six other Knights collected the team's other six base hits, and River Pecina had a pair of RBI in his 1-4 game. 

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