INDIANAPOLIS - The Marian baseball team won its third Crossroads League series of the season on Saturday afternoon, as the Knights swept Indiana Wesleyan in the series finale with final scores of 13-3 and 7-0, taking three of the four games over the weekend. Marian's wins improve the team to 22-8 for the season and 15-5 in the Crossroads League. 

Game One | Marian 13-3 Indiana Wesleyan | 7 Innings
Marian's pitching dominated on Saturday, with the team getting an early lift from Seth Hogg as the game-one starter mowed down Wildcat batters in the first inning, pitching a scoreless frame to open the contest. Hogg faced the minimum in the second inning as a strikeout and a runner caught stealing by Ty Jarvis highlighted the frame, and in the third, the junior forced three quick outs, keeping the game scoreless through three.

The offense broke through in the bottom of the third inning, as Aiden Kerr lifted the Knights with a lead-off double. Kerr would get thrown out in a rundown on a fielder's choice hit by Elijah Kelly, but a costly two-base error by the third baseman off the bat of Brayden Coffey would allow Kelly to score, giving Marian a 1-0 lead. After Hogg stranded two runners in the fourth inning, the Knights tacked another run to their totals, as Hector Corona doubled home Zach Bale, putting Marian in front 2-0. 

Hogg pitched another scoreless inning in the fifth as he stranded a walk, and in the ensuing half inning, the starter received seven runs of support from his offense. The Knights batted around in the fifth inning, starting the seven-run frame with a lead-off home run from Brayden Coffey. River Pecina drove home Zach Bale with an RBI double, and Hector Corona followed the big hit with an RBI triple. Corona would come in to score on a wild pitch, and with two outs, Marian continued to tack on runs, getting the first of their final three scores on a double from Johnny Roeder. Elijah Kelly finished the crooked inning with a two-run home run, giving Marian a commanding 9-0 lead.

The lead would be all Marian needed to secure a win, as Hogg pitched another scoreless frame in the sixth inning. Indiana Wesleyan would eventually break the shutout in the top of the seventh inning as three walks from Hogg brought in a run, while a wild pitch tossed by reliever Cecil Prather and a sacrifice fly gave the Wildcats three runs. Marian cut the bleeding as Prather ended the inning with a strikeout, setting up the offense for its curtain call.

In the final half inning, Corona led the charge with a double and scored two batters later on Aiden Kerr's double. Bradyen Coffey would knock in both Kerr and Elijah Kelly as the inning progressed, and after a walk to Landon Sarkey, Zach Bale delivered the run-rule blow, singling home Coffey from second to end the game in a 13-3 win.

The offense shone in the win, racking up 11 base hits in the 10-run victory, with Hector Corona leading the way with his two doubles and one triple, going 3-4 in the contest. Bradyen Coffey hit his team-leading eighth home run of the season in a 2-5 outing with three RBI, and Eli Kelly finished the game going 1-3 with two RBI and three runs scored. Aiden Kerr also had two hits in the win. On the mound, Seth Hogg (4-2) earned his fourth win of the season, allowing 11 runners to reach in 6.1 innings of work. Hogg was charged with three earned runs and struck out three batters.

Game Two | Marian 7-0 Indiana Wesleyan
The final outing of the weekend was similar to the third, as Marian dominated from the opening inning. Eli Loichinger pitched a scoreless first inning after facing five batters, and in the bottom of the first, Zach Bale drove in Landon Sarkey, who was the team's first base runner with his RBI double. Loichinger followed his first inning with a scoreless second, facing five batters without allowing a base hit. 

Marian added to the lead in the bottom of the second inning, getting a one-out walk from Aiden Kerr to spark the base paths. Tate Bender and Nathan Pinarski followed the walk with consecutive base hits, with Pinarski driving in courtesy runner Judah Hennessy. Bradyen Coffey continued the hit parade and knocked starter Tarick McGlothin out of the game with an RBI single, giving Marian a 3-0 lead.

After the second inning, Marian's scoring subsided, but would show as a complementary piece later in the game, as Eli Loichinger mowed down Wildcat batters for the final five innings of the game. Loichinger struck out two hitters in a scoreless third, repeating the same formula in the fourth inning after stranding a hit batter. The sophomore then retired the side in order in the fifth inning, getting bookend strikeouts to keep the shutout intact going into the sixth. The Knights would add a run to their total in the fifth inning as River Pecina scored on a balk, taking the lead to four runs.

Indiana Wesleyan's lone inning with a threatening chance to take the lead came in the sixth inning, as a lead-off double gave the visitors life. A hit batter and single hit off of Loichinger with two outs would load the bases, but the sophomore pitcher was able to overcome the adversity, ending the inning with bases loaded after forcing an inning-ending fielder's choice. 

The Knights completed their scoring in the sixth inning, plating three runs to take a comfortable lead. Zach Bale and Hector Corona each drew a free pass and picked up an RBI with the bases loaded, and River Pecina hit a sacrifice fly to give the team a 7-0 lead. Still in a zone, Loichinger was called on to finish the game, completing the game in style with a strikeout, completing his first-career complete-game shutout in a 7-0 win.

Marian had five hits in the win, with Brayden Coffey, Landon Sarkey, Zach Bale, Tate Bender, and Nathan Pinarski each picking up a base knock. Bale led the team with two RBI, and Landon Sarkey drew two walks in the win while also scoring two runs. Loichinger (5-1) allowed three hits in his complete game win, carving up nine strikeouts in the victory. The sophomore faced 31 batters in the win and threw 95 pitches. 

The Knights will be on the road for their next six games, first traveling to (RV) Oakland City on Tuesday afternoon before ending the week at Mount Vernon Nazarene for the next Crossroads League series. 

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