ST. CHARLES, MO – An offensive eruption featuring Calvin James carried the University of Mary baseball team to a doubleheader split at Lindenwood University. The Lions opened with a 3-1 win before the Marauders captured the nightcap 11-8, earning UMary an opening weekend split of the 4-game series.
 
GAME 1 | Lions 3 Marauders 1
Marauders pitchers Parker Wakeland, Daniel Turner and Jayden Smith allowed just two hits and three runs in a tough loss to the Lions. All three of the Lindenwood runs came in the second inning.
 
PIVOT POINT
Lindenwood scored all three of its runs in the second inning, taking advantage of two walks, two hits and a struck batter. After Maclaine McCarter reached on a bunt single to load the bases, Calvin Nowak singled up the middle to score the first two runs of the game. UMary looked to respond immediately in the top of the third but left the bases loaded without pushing any runs across.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Braxton Innis | 2x3 with a double and an RBI
• Daniel Turner | pitched 3.0 scoreless innings, walking one and retiring 9 of the 10 hitters he faced
• Jayden Smith | 1.0 scoreless innings pitched
• LU P Ryan O'Connell | 7.0 IP complete game. 1 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 5 K.  

 
STAT OF THE GAME
Marauders left a combined six runners on base in innings 2-4
 
GAME 2 | Marauders 11 Lions 8
Cal James singled home a pair of runs with two outs in the top of the ninth inning to break an 8-8 tie as UMary outlasted Lindenwood for an 11-8 win. The Marauders jumped out to a 5-0 lead entering the bottom of the sixth inning behind a dominant start by senior righthander Jonathan Draheim. After the Lions closed within 5-4, the Marauders posted a trio of runs in the top of the 8^th inning for an 8-4 lead. Continuing to press, the Lions tallied four times in the home half of the 8^th to tie the game at 8-8 to set up a clutch 9^th inning for the Marauders.
 
PIVOT POINT
Despite seeing 5-run and 4-run leads evaporate the Marauders offense kept grinding. Tied at 8-8 after eight innings, Krece Papierski reached base to lead off the 9^th inning when he was hit by a pitch. One out later, on an attempted force play at second on Papierski went awry for the Lions and Kyle Jameson reached base on the error. Both runners moved up on a Michael Polson fly ball to left center, bringing James to the plate. Already with a pair of doubles in the game to his credit, James pulled a two-out single to right field to score both Papierski and Jameson for a 10-8 Marauders lead. Two batters later James scored on a Nate Hull single to right. Andrew Brooks struck out the last two hitters of the game while pitching a perfect bottom of the ninth to pick up his first win of the season.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Cal James | 3-for-3 with two doubles, two walks, two runs scored and 5 RBIs
• Michael Polson | 4x6 with a double, two runs scored and an RBI
• Nate Hull | 1x4, 2 RBIs
• Kyle Jameson | 1x3, 2 walks, 1 RBI, 4 runs scored
• Kendall Keller | 1x4, 2 walks, SB
• Jonathan Draheim | 6 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 1 BB, 4 K | retired 9 straight hitters at one point
• Andrew Brooks | 2.0 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 5 Ks

 
STAT OF THE GAME
Four of the five hits for Cal James on the weekend were doubles… UMary outhit Lindenwood 18-9 in the doubleheader but Marauders pitchers allowed 14 walks to eight walks by Lions pitchers.
 
The Marauders next visit the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs for a 4-game set Saturday-Monday, February 26-28. Saturday and Monday are single games with a doubleheader scheduled for Sunday.
 
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