SPRING ARBOR, Michigan - The Marian College baseball team suffered a season-series sweep at the hands of No. 25-ranked Spring Arbor University on Saturday afternoon.

 

The Knights nearly pulled the upset in game one by taking SAU to extra innings, but fell 13-12. Game two was not as close as the Knights fell 9-3. Their record sits at 20-24 on the season and 9-13 in MCC play.

 

Game one showcased the aluminum bat as the Knights and Cougars combined for 25 runs and 34 hits in eight innings of play.

 

The Knights took a 6-0 lead in the second. Freshman Jon Wade (Avon, Indiana/Avon) drew a bases-loaded walk to score the first run and senior Chad Morris (Whitestown, Indiana/Vermont) did the same to take a 2-0 lead.

 

Freshman Evan Schludecker (Indianapolis/Roncalli) ripped a two-run double, Morris scored on an error, and sophomore Todd Ungru (Madison, Indiana/Shawe Memorial) hit an RBI-single to take the 6-0 lead.

 

SAU scored one in the second to cut the gap, but the Knights added four more in the third. Junior Tony Goodpaster (Avon, Indiana/Avon), sophomore Bobby Willis (North Vernon, Indiana/Jennings County), Morris, and Ungru each drove in a run in the third to take a 10-1 lead.

 

A three-run home run cut the gap to 10-4 in the bottom of the third, but the Knights answered with two more in the fourth. Willis had an RBI-single and Wade had an RBI-double to give the Knights a 12-4 lead.

 

SAU scored one in the fifth to cut the lead to 12-5, but the Knights were held scoreless the rest of the way.

 

The Cougars showed their might in the bottom of the seventh as they posted seven runs to tie the score, 12-12, and stole the win in the bottom of the eighth, 13-12.

 

Morris led the way after he went 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Freshman Jared Mills (Cicero, Indiana/Hamilton Heights) went 3-for-5 with two runs scored, while Ungru, Schludecker, Willis, and Wade each drove in a pair for the Knights.

 

The Knights started game two with a run in the top of the second on an RBI-ground out by Goodpaster, but the Cougars scored three to take a 3-1 lead after two innings.

 

A solo home run by senior Kyle Cox (Indianapolis/Butler) in the top of the fourth cut the gap to 3-2, but the Cougars added four more to take an 7-2 lead. They tacked on two more to take a 9-2 lead after five innings.

 

An RBI-double by Schludecker in the top of the seventh cut the lead to 9-3, but the Knights could not do anything more as SAU closed out the 9-3 win.

 

Mills went 2-for-3 for the Knights while Morris, Schludecker, Cox, and Willis each had a hit. Cox' home run was the third of the season for the senior.

 

The Knights step out of conference on Tuesday when they head to Fort Wayne, Indiana, to battle the Warriors of Indiana Tech in a single, nine-inning game. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.