SPRING ARBOR, Mich. - The Marian baseball team split its Friday doubleheader against Spring Arbor, ending the day with a 2-1 victory over the Cougars after falling in game one 5-0. Marian's game two win snaps its season-long two-game losing streak, as the team record moves to 17-6 overall and 11-3 in conference play.

Game One | Marian 0-5 Spring Arbor
The Cougars never trailed in game one on Friday, scoring in four of the first five innings of the game. A lead-off walk drawn by Connor Reed against Marian's starter Chris Adams started the first scoring of the day for the Cougars, as a bunt and groundout allowed Reed to score the game's first run. Adams would rebound with a three-up, three-down second inning, but in the third, another lead-off walk burned the Marian pitcher, as the Cougars went on to bring in two runs after executing another series of small ball. The Cougars would tag Adams for a run in the fourth inning after he threw a wild pitch with a runner on third, and in the fifth, Spring Arbor extended its lead to five runs after knocking the starter out of the game. 

Offensively, Marian was unable to string together timely hits through five innings, as base hits from Brayden Coffey and Johnny Roeder in the respective first and second innings were left stranded, while a walk drawn in the third and fourth innings were also left stranded. In the fifth inning, Marian had a strong chance to score as Judah Hennessy and Brayden Coffey were walked on eight straight balls, and Landon Sarkey was hit by a pitch to fill the bags, however, the Cougars pitching staff managed to get consecutive strikeouts to end the frame. 

Trailing 5-0 after five complete, the Knights continued to get runners on, but were unable to break through the Cougars' pitching staff. Hector Corona and Johnny Roeder both singled in the sixth and were left stranded, and in the seventh, Marian left a man on base for the seventh consecutive inning. The best opportunity in the final two innings of play came in the eighth inning when Corona singled, and Ty Jarvis drew a walk, but a groundout would end the threat. Down to their final three outs, Marian got a runner on in the top of the ninth in the form of a Landon Sarkey walk, but Zach Bale would ground into a game-ending double play to close the 5-0 loss. 

Chris Adams (3-2) suffered his second loss of the season and first in Crossroads League play this season, pitching 4.2 innings with four hits and four walks. Adams was responsible for all five runs, four of which were earned. Kaeb Stebbins finished the game on the hill, pitching 3.1 innings in relief with three hits allowed in the four frames he saw action in. Offensively, Corona and Roeder were both 2-3 in the game, combining for four of the team's five base hits. Coffey finished the game 1-4 with a walk, and Landon Sarkey was 0-2, reaching base three times. 

Game Two | Marian 2-1 Spring Arbor
The Knights struck first in the second act after getting shutout in game one, breaking a 0-0 game in the top of the third inning. After coming up empty in the first inning, a Nathan Pinarski walk ignited the frame, with the outfielder quickly stealing second base. Brayden Coffey followed with an infield single, and Landon Sarkey roped a hit to center three pitches later, driving in Pinarski to take a 1-0 lead. River Pecina then knocked in Coffey, giving the Knights a 2-0 lead. 

The early scoring sparked the Knights and gave Evan Cooke room to work with, as the junior pitcher had a quality outing on the hill. Cooke first had to work out of a bases-loaded jam in the first inning after striking out his first two hitters, allowing the next three men to reach before getting a groundout to retire the side. Cooke stranded two men in the second, but would not be as successful in the third, as the Cougars responded to Marian's two runs by getting one of their own, taking advantage of three walks from Cooke. A double play helped Marian prevent a second run from scoring, while another ground out ended the frame and moved the game into the fourth with the Knights leading 2-1.

Scoring subsided after Spring Arbor's run, as Marian was able to hang on to its one-run edge thanks to strong pitching. Cooke benefited from another double play in the fourth inning as his defense stranded a runner, and in the bottom of the fifth, the junior logged two strikeouts to pitch a scoreless frame. As Cooke found a groove, Marian attempted to build a lead larger than one, but was unable to drive more home off Kyler Hinken, as Cole McManus was stranded at second base in the fourth, and in the fifth, Brayden Coffey got stuck at third after leading off with a single. 

Marian turned the game over to Brady Armstrong for the final two innings of the game on the mound, and the sophomore worked strongly in relief, forcing three groundouts in the sixth after allowing a lead-off base hit to turn the card to the seventh inning. In the final frame, Armstrong ran into trouble as Spring Arbor loaded the bases with two outs on the board, but the sophomore was able to stand strong, closing out the win with a flyout to center to secure the 2-1 victory. 

Evan Cooke (4-1) logged the win on the hill, allowing five hits and six walks with one run allowed. The junior struck out six hitters in the win on the mound. Brady Armstrong logged his second save of the season in relief, allowing three hits in two innings of work without allowing a run. 

At the plate, Marian had six base hits, led by Brayden Coffey's three-hit outing. Coffey scored a run, as did Pinarski who reached base once on a walk. Landon Sarkey had two hits in the win, and Cole McManus had the other base knock for the Knights. 

Marian and Spring Arbor resume the series on Saturday afternoon at 12:00 p.m. 

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