INDIANAPOLIS - The Marian College baseball team found itself in a precarious situation on Monday afternoon: win or the season is over.
After dropping game one of the MCC play-in series doubleheader, 26-7, the Knights had to respond in game two to force the deciding game three. They responded with an 8-4 win to send the series to a third game back at Marian College Baseball Field on Tuesday afternoon.
The Knights were trounced in game one after they allowed 13 walks, three hit batters, and 21 hits to go along with 26 runs. However, they responded in game two behind strong pitching and solid hitting. Freshman Evan Schludecker (Indianapolis/Roncalli) and sophomore Todd Ungru (Madison, Indiana/Shawe Memorial) each had two hits for the Knights.
After being allowed just four hits in game one, the Knights pounded out 17 in game two en route to the 8-4 win.
IWU started the scoring in the top of the first with two runs, and the Knights scored one in the third on an RBI-single by freshman Evan Schludecker (Indianapolis/Roncalli) to cut the lead to one, 2-1.
After IWU scored two more in the fourth, it was all Knights as they scored three in the fourth to tie the game. A two-run single by sophomore Bobby Willis (North Vernon, Indiana/Jennings County) and an RBI-sacrifice fly by senior Chad Morris (Whitestown, Indiana/Vermont) knotted the score, 4-4.
The Knights tallied four more in the fifth to take the 8-4 lead on an RBI-sacrifice fly by sophomore Cory Emmons (Indianapolis/Lutheran), and back-to-back RBI-doubles by junior Tony Goodpaster (Avon, Indiana/Wabash) and Willis. Morris beat out an infield single to score the fourth run and take an 8-4 lead.
That was all junior Ricky Parrish (Avon, Indiana/Avon) needed as he shut down the Wildcats the rest of the way to pick up the complete game win. He allowed seven hits and three earned runs in nine innings and struck out five to improve to 5-5 on the season.
Senior Kyle Cox (Indianapolis/Butler) went 4-for-5 in the nightcap and Willis finished 2-for-4 with three RBI. Freshman Jared Mills (Cicero, Indiana/Hamilton Heights) also went 4-for-5 for the Knights while freshman Jeff Marschand (Galveston, Indiana/Lewis Cass) went 2-for-4.