INDIANAPOLIS - Marian couldn't overcome an early deficit and late insurance in a 4-2 loss to Taylor in the opener, before the Trojans completed the sweep by capitalizing on timely hitting and a limited Knights' offense in the nightcap as the regular season ended in a 9-6 defeat. Marian ends the regular season with a 35-14 overall record, completing Crossroads League play with a 27-9 record. 

Game One | #24 Marian 2-4 #1 Taylor
Taylor struck first Saturday afternoon, roping three base hits against Seth Hogg in the top of the first inning to plate two runs. Taylor scored their runs on an RBI sacrifice fly and RBI double, taking a 2-0 lead. Hogg settled into the game and stranded a runner in the second inning before striking out two in a scoreless third, but in the fourth, Taylor managed to plate a third run against the junior, bringing home a run on a sacrifice fly, extending the lead to three runs.

The Knights took a handful of innings to get the offense going, as Lane Lewis owned the game early with four scoreless frames for Taylor. Walks in the first and second innings did not faze the pitcher, and in the third, Marian had two men reach but were unable to score a run. In the bottom of the fifth inning, the bats finally came to life as Calvin Miller ripped a one-out solo home run to give the team its first base hit, and after a Brayden Coffey single, River Pecina doubled in a run, cutting the score to one run. Pecina's RBI double ended Lane Lewis' day, and JT Tabor cleaned up the inning for Taylor, stopping the rally with Marian behind 3-2. 

Hogg would pitch two more scoreless innings before his outing ended, stranding runners in both the sixth and seventh innings to keep the game a 3-2 count. The Knights had an opportunity in the sixth to score as Tate Bender's single led walks to Cole McManus and Ty Jarvis, but no score would come of the passes. Nick Crabtree kept Marian off the board in the bottom of the seventh as the Taylor reliever won a lengthy nine-pitch at-bat against Elijah Kelly, while in the bottom of the eighth, Marian was held scoreless in a three-up, three-down inning.

Aden Burnside would pitch a scoreless eighth inning as he used a double play to keep the game a one-run contest, but in the ninth, Taylor would find an insurance run, as Luke Sutter delivered a one-out single against Deacon Spencer to score a run. In the final inning, Marian attempted to muster a rally as Brayden Coffey drew a lead-off walk and Landon Sarkey followed with a base hit. Coffey moved over to third on a flyout to give Marian runners on the corners, but with one out the team attempted a hit and run, backfiring as Hector Corona's grounder up the middle went right to shortstop Ben Kennedy, who turned a double play to end the game with Taylor on top 4-2. 

Sarkey had Marian's only multi-hit game with his 2-4 outing, while four other Knights collected a base hit. Pecina doubled for an RBI, and Miller homered for the fifth time this season. Seth Hogg (7-3) suffered the loss on the mound, allowing seven hits and three runs in seven innings of work. Hogg retired four batters on strikes. Aden Burnside did not allow a run in his inning of work, and Deacon Spencer surrendered two hits and one run in his outing. 

Game Two | #24 Marian 6-9 #1 Taylor
In the regular season finale, Marian got the early jump in the game on Taylor, as River Pecina fired a run on the board with his sacrifice fly in the first inning. Taylor would respond in the second inning against Eli Loichinger, roping three consecutive base hits after a lead-off walk, scoring a pair of runs. Loichinger would load the bases before getting out of the inning with a grounder to second, as the Knights fell behind 2-1. 

The Knights made chances for themselves against a Taylor pitching staff that featured several freshmen on Saturday, but could not string together a timely hit. Aiden Kerr's second inning single would be Marian's lone base hit until the fourth, as the team could not drive in a run in that frame, and in the third inning, Landon Sarkey's one-out base hit was left aboard. 

Taylor scratched a run in the top of the fourth inning to take the lead to two runs, but the Knights were able to rally in the bottom half, bringing home five runs without a base hit. Four consecutive walks opened the inning and forced Taylor into two pitching changes, with the second walk from Brayden Stevenson to Cole McManus scoring a run. Calvin Miller won a long battle at the plate after Luke Klunke entered the game, scoring a run on a fielder's choice, while Judah Hennessy was able to score after Brennan Frickel threw the ball into the outfield on Miller's tapper. Landon Sarkey would bring home a run on a fielder's choice, and Johnny Roeder later scored on a passed ball, giving Marian life with a 6-3 lead.

As quick as the lead was gained, it quickly went away, as Taylor responded in a big way in the top of the fifth inning. Loichinger gave up an RBI single after hitting the first two batters of the inning, but the sophomore was able to turn around and get two quick outs as he picked off a runner and notched a strikeout. Marian's starter could not turn the third out in as swiftly as he walked a batter to extend the inning, and two pitches after the walk, Sam Gladd homered to right, driving in three runs to give Taylor a 7-6 lead.

Taylor would add on two more runs in the final two innings, scoring two against Brady Armstrong and Cecil Prather in the seventh inning to expand the lead to three runs. Marian's comeback effort would be denied as they went down in order in the fifth inning, and in the sixth, a lineout caught by Ben Kennedy off of Hector Corona's bat with the bases loaded would end a potential game-altering moment. Trailing 9-6 entering their final at-bats of the regular season, Aiden Kerr was able to reach on an error, but it would not be enough to extend the game, as a flyout closed the contest in a loss for the Knights.

Sarkey again had a good day at the plate, going 2-4 with an RBI, as he recorded two of the three hits. Aiden Kerr had the only other Knight hit in the loss, and four players had one RBI. Eli Loichginer (8-2) suffered a loss for the first time since February 21, as he allowed seven hits and runs in 5.0 innings of work. The sophomore retired eight batters on strikes in the game. 

Marian will be the three-seed in the upcoming Crossroads League Tournament, taking on Indiana Wesleyan in the first game of the tourney. Marian's game time from Spring Arbor, Mich., will be at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 30. 

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