KOKOMO, Ind. - The Marian baseball team led early on Tuesday, and benefited from an hour rain delay before the last two innings, as a five-run spark in the final two frames fueled the team's 11-9 comeback victory against IU-Kokomo. The Knights move to 30-11 overall with the non-conference road win. 

The Knights struck first on Tuesday afternoon, bringing in the first six runs of the game in the first four innings of play. A scoreless first was followed by a one-run second inning, as Tate Bender launched a solo home run, while in the third inning, Brayden Coffey roped an RBI single to knock home Johnny Roeder. The offense kept chopping away in the fourth inning, as a lead-off single from Zach Bale started a hit brigade, with Marian ripping five knocks in the inning. Calvin Miller picked up an RBI single two batters after the Bale hit, and Cole McManus followed with an RBI ground-rule double. Brayden Coffey would finish the inning with a ground-rule double of his own, plating two to give the Knights a 6-0 lead.

The defensive effort matched the same as the offense through the first three innings, as Kaeb Stebbins logged three consecutive scoreless innings to open the game. Stebbins stranded a runner in both the first and second innings, and in the third, a two-out single was left aboard with an inning-ending groundout. The freshman returned for a fourth inning of work, but struggled in the frame, as he yielded five hits, including a three-run home run, that helped the Cougars score four runs. Stebbins would be lifted for Mitchell Porter, who nearly closed out of the inning without surrendering the lead, but would give up a two-out, two-run home run, pushing the game to a 6-6 draw.

Porter would allow one more run to score in the fifth inning, as the Cougars notched a run on a sacrifice fly to push in front 7-6. The senior cut the damage to run as he left bases loaded in the fifth, and in the sixth, Jack Peine took over, working a quick one-two-three frame in his first outing. Peine followed his first inning with a scoreless second as he stranded a double, keeping the game in check at one run.

As the seventh inning ended, the weather came in, as a storm halted the game for over an hour. The break was the best thing for the slumping Marian offense, as they came back to life in the eighth inning with a vengeance. Tate Bender opened the inning with a single, and Aiden Kerr followed with a pinch-hit double. Ty Jarvis would bring home Bender on a sacrifice fly to tie the game, setting up Elijah Kelly, who came on and slammed a pinch-hit, two-run home run to give Marian the lead. Brayden Coffey followed the home run with one of his own, blasting a solo shot against his former team to gift the Knights a 10-7 lead. 

The lead shrank in the ensuing half inning, as Evan Cooke yielded two runs in an inning of relief. Cooke managed to strike out a pair of batters in the inning as Marian maintained a 10-9 lead. Tate Bender continued a hot day at the plate in the top of the ninth inning, doubling to lead the frame, and racing to third later on a wild pitch. Bender would then score on a balk with two outs, giving the team a two-run cushion. In the final half inning, Aiden Kerr jumped in to close the game, and did so with ease, facing four batters in a scoreless ninth inning, locking down Marian's 11-9 victory. 

Bender led the Knights' offense in their 17-hit game, pushing across four base hits, including a pair of doubles and a home run. Coffey finished the game 3-5 with his home run and a team-best four RBI, and Landon Sarkey and Zach Bale each had 2-5 outings. In total, 10 Knights recorded a base hit in the win. Peine (1-1) earned his first collegiate win with the result, pitching 2.0 scoreless innings. Stebbins finished with 3.1 innings of work, and Aiden Kerr picked up his second collegiate save with his scoreless ninth. 

Marian plays its final Crossroads League road series this weekend, as they are scheduled for a trip to Grace College on Friday and Saturday. 

MUKnights.com: Your online source for Marian Athletics, tickets, multimedia, Knight merchandise, photos and more.