SIOUX CITY, IA –
Jonathan Draheim combined with two other hurlers to carry the University of Mary baseball team past Minnesota State University, Mankato 6-3 in the opener of a three-game set between the Marauders and the Mavericks. UMary held defending Northern Sun champion and preseason favorite MSU to four hits in the 9-inning contest as the Marauders earned their first conference win of the season.
In a series relocated to Sioux City, IA, due to earlier snowfall in Mankato, MN, the Marauders scratched out single unearned runs in each of the second and third innings to claim an early lead. Taking advantage of Mavericks miscues,
James Martin singled to score
Ty Jones in the second before a passed ball plated
Calvin James in the third for a 2-0 UMary advantage.
Draheim made the Marauders early runs stand up. The junior righthander strung together five straight scoreless innings. After striking Mavericks leadoff hitter Wickman with a pitch, Draheim retired six consecutive hitters. He worked out of a jam in the third, inducing a double play grounded after walking the leadoff hitter. Wickman then reached base when he was hit by a pitch for the second of five times in the game and moved to second on a single before Draheim ended the inning on a strikeout to strand two runners.
The Mavericks threatened again in the fifth, loading the bases on a single and two more hit batters. Draheim struck out the last two hitters of the inning to maintain the Marauders 2-0 lead and conclude his effort.
UMary broke open the game in the sixth. Loading the bases on a Martin single and a
Noah Hull double followed by
Ben Prediger getting hit by a pitch,
Kyle Jameson was hit by a pitch with two outs to score a run. A based loaded walk to James forced home another run before
Derek Shoen doubled down the left field line to score two more runs for a 6-0 UMary advantage.
Mark Schommer entered the game for the Marauders in the sixth and pitched a pair of perfect innings. He retired the Mavericks in order in both the sixth and seventh innings before Minnesota State touched him for three runs in the eighth.
Paxton Miller closed out the Marauders win in the 9
th. After striking out the first two Mavericks before the next two batters reached base, Miller closed out the win with a swinging strikeout.
In five innings, Draheim struck out six and allowed two hits, one walk and hit four batters to earn the win. Schommer gave up just one hit and no walks while striking out three in three innings of work. Miller struck out three in one inning of work for his first save of the season. In total the Marauders struck out 11 hitters, walked one, gave up four hits and hit seven batters.
Martin led the Marauders offense with two hits, an RBI, a run scored and a double. James was 1-for-3 with two walks, a run scored and an RBI. Shoen drove in two runs with a double.
UMary improves to 9-9 overall and 1-2 in the NSIC. MSU is 11-4 and 4-2. The two teams next play a doubleheader on Sunday, March 27, at 12 noon.
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