Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 BISMARCK, N.D. – On a day
Mason Schiff was honored as one of six seniors playing his last week of baseball for the University of Mary, the Marauders shortstop had a game to remember. Schiff produced two hits, knocked in three runs, and made a spectacular defensive play to protect an 8-5 U-Mary victory over visiting Bemidji State University in the second game of the day. The Beavers won the opener 6-0.
Schiff finished the doubleheader with four hits, including a double and a triple, and three runs batted in over six plate appearances. He was just one of two Marauders with a hit in both games. All told, U-Mary recorded just 11 total hits on the day and both extra base hits came from Schiff.
Stifled offensively through the first three games, the Marauders scored twice in the first inning of the nightcap.
Andrew Beyer and
Tom Imholte both walked to start the game and a run-scoring single by
Jason Shaul through the right side scored Beyer for the first Marauders lead of the weekend. A
Connor Doll ground out plated Imholte for a 2-0 U-Mary lead.
The Beavers crossed the dish with a single run in the third to cut the Marauders advantage in half before Schiff hit a run-scoring single up the middle for a 3-1 lead.
Bemidji State took a lead in the fifth, scoring three times to push ahead 4-3. After
Brad Meyer retired the first two hitters of the contest, two walks and a hit loaded the bases. Looking to get out of the inning, Meyer induced Scott Litchy to pop up just behind third base. Despite three Marauders surrounding the ball, it fell safely to earth for an error as two runs scored on the play. A single to right by Mason Bellow scored a third unearned run and BSU led 4-3.
Immediately the Marauders responded. After Imholte was hit by a pitch leading off the inning and Shaul singled through the right side,
Will Pettener pulled a grounder to right field to score Imholte and tie the game. A passed ball and throwing error by the BSU catcher on the same play allowed Shaul to score the go-ahead run. Pettener moved to third on the play and scored easily on a fly ball by Doll to left field.
Not yet done,
Clay Bassingthwaite and
Drew Feuerbach recorded back-to-back one-out singles. Schiff cleared the bases with a standup triple shot the opposite way into the right field corner for an 8-4 Marauders lead.
Refusing to fold, BSU hit a triple and a double back-to-back in the sixth inning to pull within 8-5.
Bearing down, Meyer struck out two hitters and stranded two BSU runners in the seventh before turning the game over to the bullpen for the final two innings.
Travis Holte immediately got in trouble in the eighth inning, allowing a single and a walk to the first two batters. Settling down, Holte got a big out on a fly ball, followed by a strikeout.
With both runners now going on contact, Scott Litchy hit a hard ground ball up the middle. Making a sensational diving stop on a ball seeming destined off the bat to reach center and score a run, Schiff scrambled to his feet and gunned out Litchy at first to retire the Beavers and preserve the Marauders advantage.
Closer Ryo Takanaka claimed the ninth inning. After hitting the leadoff hitter and throwing a wild pitch to advance him to second, Takenaka sandwiched two fly ball outs around a strikeout to earn his second save of the season.
Meyer improved to 2-5 on the season as the Marauders snapped a 13-game losing streak. In seven innings he allowed two earned runs, struck out three and allowed eight hits and five walks.
Shaul finished the game 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Imholte and Bassingthwaite both scored twice and Doll drove in two runs.
Gunner Oleszeski, Bellew and Collin Eckman all had two hits for BSU.
The day's opener started as a pitching duel between two lefthanders. Senior
McKeon Meyhoff kept the Beavers off the boards the first three innings while striking out five. The Marauders all-time leader in strikeouts, he finished the day with eight.
Between three hits, including a pair of doubles, two walks and an error, BSU scored three times to take a commanding lead. The Beavers later tacked on two more in the sixth and one in the seventh.
In command all day, Mark Lesinski threw the third straight complete game for BSU against U-Mary on the weekend and the second straight complete game shutout. He allowed just four hits, including two from Schiff, walked two and struck out nine.
Olszewski led the Beavers attack with three hits and two runs scored. The freshman ended the day with five total hits.
The Marauders have one more schedule home game, hosting Valley City State University on May 4 in a single nine inning game beginning at 4 p.m. at Municipal Ballpark. U-Mary then wraps up the season with six road games.
#marauders#
