BISMARCK, ND – Booming bats and a pair of tremendous starting pitching performances carried the University of Mary baseball team to a doubleheader sweep of the University of Sioux Falls. The Marauders captured the opener 12-3 before running away with game two 14-4.
 
GAME 1 University of Mary 12 University of Sioux Falls 3
University of Mary starting pitcher Lukas Frers set an early tone with two strikeouts in a shutout first inning. The Marauders bats followed with a 6-run outburst in the home half of the first to set a powerful tone for the day.
 
Krece Papierski opened the scoring with a double to plate Kalem Haney. Josh Walker added a run-scoring single and Danial Martin followed with a walk with he bases loaded to send home a third run. Dylan Edmands then delivered the big blow, a 3-run double to right center for a 6-0 lead.
 
The Marauders followed with runs in each of the next three innings, including three in both the third and fourth innings.
 
Frers was dominant, striking out 12 hitters in five shutout innings. The senior righthander allowed just two hits and didn't walk a batter. At one point he retired nine straight Cougars, including seven straight on strikeouts. He also struck out the final four hitters he faced in the game.
 
Papierski finished with two doubles and three RBIs. Edmands was 2-for-2 with a double, a walk and a steal. The UMary third baseman also drove in four runs. Haney had two hits, walked once, drove in two runs and scored once. Noah Hull – who had a home run – and Carter Shin both scored twice.
 
All nine Marauders in the starting lineup scored in the game.
 
GAME 2 University of Mary 14 University of Sioux Falls 4
Noah Hull had a monster game at the plate, finishing 4-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored and five RBIs as the Marauders claimed a 14-4 win over the Cougars to earn a sweep on the day.
 
With his efforts Hull climbed into a tie for third place in career home runs (29) with Cal James and moved into fifth in RBIs (108), passing Mike Feldman (105) and Brennan Quintas (103).  
 
Sioux Falls scored a single run in the first to take the Cougars first lead of the day. The advantage was short-lived as UMary scored three in the bottom of the first, picking up runs on a balk, a Josh Walker sacrifice fly and a Carter Shin bases loaded walk.
 
Following another single run by USF in the second, a 2-run bomb by Hull in the bottom of the inning provided the Marauders a 5-2 lead.
 
UMary pulled away in the later innings with two in the fifth and one in the sixth. A 2-run single by Hull in the seventh keyed a 4-run seventh inning and the Marauders ended the game on the 10-run rule after scoring two more runs in the eighth. 
 
Carter Beck also had a big day at the plate as the freshman outfielder was 3-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBIs.
 
Kalem Haney added two more hits, scored twice and drove in a run. Krece Papierski scored twice and Ben Prediger had two of UMary's 14 hits.
 
Alec Danen earned the win with a strong start on the hill. The righthander allowed just two runs in five innings. He struck out four batters, walked two and gave up six hits.
 
Kayden Beauregard struck out three batters in one inning of work. The Marauders bullpen pitched the last three innings and allowed just one hit and two unearned runs.
 
The Marauders (17-20 overall, 13-14 NSIC) – who moved into 8^th place in the NSIC with the two wins - and the Cougars (21-18, 14-15) wrap up their 3-game NSIC weekend with a single 9 inning game Sunday, April 21. First pitch is 12 noon.
 
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