DENVER, CO – Scoring single runs in the final three innings of the day earned the University of Mary baseball team a split on the road with Metropolitan State University Denver. The Marauders captured the second game of the day 5-3 after dropping the opener 11-7 to the Roadrunners.
The opening of the 4-game series was delayed a day by snowfall on Friday. UMary wraps up the weekend at MSU Denver with a double header Sunday, February 23, at 1 pm CT.
GAME 1: MSU Denver 11 UMary 7
UMary jumped out to a 5-run lead but couldn't hold off a midgame charge by MSU Denver.
Noah Hull cracked a 3-run home run to left field and
Krece Papierski smacked a solo shot to right as the Marauders scored four times in the first inning. After adding a solo run in the second UMary claimed a 5-0 lead.
The Roadrunners started their comeback with a single run in the third, two runs in the fourth and six in the fifth for a 9-5 lead. The big blow in the fifth inning was a 3-run home run by Easton Amundson to push MSU Denver in front 6-5.
UMary tacked on single runs in the eighth and ninth innings.
Hull, 3
rd all-time at UMary with 32 home runs, finished the game 2-for-5 with a double, a home run, a run scored and three RBIs.
Kieran Gaffney finished 2-for-3, scoring two runs and driving in one.
Kalem Haney and Papierski also had a pair of hits while scoring once and driving in a run.
GAME 2: Marauders 5 Roadrunners 3
Scoring one run in five different innings, UMary overcame a 3-run deficit to earn a doubleheader split.
Amundson opened the scoring in the first inning with his second 3-run blast of the day for the Roadrunners.
UMary scored its first run in the second when a
Luke Rhee fly ball scored
Carter Shin. Hull followed with a run-scoring double in the third, driving home
Hank Griffin.
Kieran Gaffney hit a solo home run to left in the fifth to draw the Marauders even.
Haney delivered a sacrifice fly in the sixth to score
Marcus Butts with the go-ahead run before Papierski doubled in Gaffney in the seventh inning for an extra run of insurance.
After allowing the Amundson home run,
Aiden Johnson shut down the Roadrunners attack. He pitched five straight shutout innings while the Marauders chipped away at the deficit. Johnson earned the win with six innings of work, allowing three runs on nine hits. He didn't allow a walk and struck out three.
Sam Hayen earned his first save. After allowing a hit and a walk in the seventh inning, Hayen induced a double play grounder to third base to end the game and secure the win. It was the third of three twin killings for the Marauders in the nightcap.
Butts, a freshman catcher from Bismarck, ND, finished the game with a pair of doubles. Gaffney scored twice and added a pair of walks to his home run.
Six of UMary's seven hits went for extra bases.
Jesse Velders had three hits for MSU Denver.
The Marauders are 2-4 on the season. The Roadrunners are 2-7.
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