DENVER, CO – Reeling off the last ten runs of the day, the University of Mary baseball team claimed a 13-10 game two win to earn a doubleheader and weekend split at Metropolitan State University Denver. The Roadrunners grabbed a win in the opener 13-3.
GAME 1: MSU Denver 13 UMary 3
Behind a pair of solo home runs by
Kieran Gaffney and
Krece Papierski, the Marauders jumped out to a 3-2 lead after three innings.
The Marauders offense soon dried up while the Roadrunners caught fire. MSU Denver tallied a pair of runs in the fourth inning on a 2-run home run by Royce Vandine to claim a 4-3 lead. Vandine then capped a 5-run fifth inning with a 3-run blast as the Roadrunners improved their lead to 9-3. MSU Denver tacked on another run in the sixth and six in the seventh.
In addition to the home runs by Gaffney and Papierski,
Riley Pearce doubled.
Vandine finished with two home runs and five RBIs with three runs scored. Andrew Graham had four hits – including two doubles and a home run – with three runs scored and four runs batted in.
GAME TWO: Marauders 13 Roadrunners 10
Trailing 7-1 at the end of two innings and 9-3 through three, the Marauders scored seven runs in the fourth inning and three more in the fifth to earn a 13-10 win to gain a doubleheader split for the second straight day.
Hank Griffin jumpstarted the Marauders rally with a 3-run double before scoring on a wild pitch. Papierski singled home
Noah Hull before a
Cru Walker single through the left side scored Papierski and
Bryce Leafgren to give UMary a 10-9 lead. UMary extended its lead in the fifth with run scoring singles by
Isaac Pegors and Papierski and an RBI double by Leafgren.
Jaxon Zanolli and
Konnor Kirchoffner made sure the Marauders rally held up. Entering the game in the third inning, Zanolli allowed just one run on one hit in three innings of work and earned the win. He struck out three and walked three.
Kichoffner slammed the door on the Roadrunners with two scoreless innings. He earned his first save of the season after striking out two and allowing just one hit.
Papierski finished 3-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored and four RBIs. Leafgren was 4-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored. Pegors was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two runs batted in. Griffin drove in three runs and scored twice. Gaffney crossed the plate twice.
Each of the top five batters in the UMary lineup scored two runs each.
Easton Amundson drove in two runs on two hits and finished the weekend with eight RBIs for the Roadrunners.
The Marauders are 3-5 on the season. MSU Denver is 3-8.
UMary next plays a single game at Missouri Western on Wednesday, February 26. The Marauders then open Northern Sun play with four neutral site games against Minnesota State University February 28-March 2 in Omaha, NE.
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