INDIANAPOLIS - The Marian College softball team continued its outstanding form as the Knights pulled out a sweep of Mid-Central College Conference foe Huntington University, 3-2 and 4-2, on Tuesday afternoon.

 

The wins were the Knights' eighth and ninth straight, and they improved their record to 16-4 overall and 3-1 in MCC play.

 

The Knights took a 1-0 lead in game one in the bottom of the second inning. An RBI-single by freshman Jillian Ayres (Columbus, Indiana/North) gave the Knights the 1-0 lead.

 

After four scorless innings, the Foresters got on the board with an RBI-single in the fifth to knot the score, 1-1. The Knights immediately responded with two runs on a pair of RBI-doubles by sophomore Jessica Slayton (Indianapolis/Decatur Central) and sophomore Chelsea Bell (Indianapolis/Franklin Central) to take a3-1 lead.

 

Senior Heather Pieper (Greenwood, Indiana/Greenwood) gave up an RBI-single in the top of the seventh, but a double play wiped out a scoring opportunity for the Foresters. A line out back to Pieper sealed the 3-2 win and improved her record to 9-2 on the season. It was also her seventh complete game of the season.

 

Bell finished 2-for-3 with an RBI while Slayton also went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.

 

The second game was another tightly-contested, low-scoring affair. Again, the Knights took the lead in the bottom of the second as junior Melissa Coutz (Indianapolis/Bishop Chatard) scored on an error to give the Knights a 1-0 lead.

 

They added to the lead in the fourth as Slayton was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to score the game's second run. Huntington responded in the fifth as a pinch-hit, two-run home run tied the game with two outs, 2-2.

 

The Knights scored a pair in the bottom of the sixth on a pair of errors to secure a 4-2 lead.

 

Junior Sandy Corum (North Vernon, Indiana/Jennings County) threw six strong innings and allowed just one earned run, but gave way to Pieper in the seventh after a leadoff double. Pieper closed the game and gave Corum her fourth victory of the season. It was also Pieper's first save of the season.

 

Coutz went 2-for-3 in game two with two runs scored to lead the Knights. Freshman Kelsey Uebelhor (St. Anthony, Indiana/Forest Park) also went 2-for-3.

 

The Knights step out of conference on Thursday when they host Urbana University at Marian College Softball Field. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m.