BISMARCK, ND – The 2025 regular season ended in heartbreaking fashion for the University of Mary baseball team as the Marauders fell 11-10 to the University of Minnesota Duluth.

The Marauders (24-25 overall, 20-20 NSIC) earned the eighth seed in the NSIC tournament and will take on one-seeded Minnesota State University, Mankato on Wednesday, May 7, at noon.

UMary hosted senior day after the game. The Marauders honored Konnor Kirchoffner, Archer Blumenschein, Krece Papierski and Kevin Millar for their contributions to the University of Mary on and off the field.

The Bulldogs (25-25, 21-19) took an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning. UMary rallied for three runs in the bottom of the first to tie the game at 3-3.

The Marauders had three batters hit by pitches to load the bases up. Noah Hull hit a sacrifice fly to center field to score Hank Griffin. A Krece Papierski walk brought Kieran Gaffney up with A Marauder on every base. Gaffney hit a double down the left field line, scoring Isaac Pegors and Bryce Leafgren.

UMD scored three more runs to regain their lead in the second inning. The Bulldogs added two more runs in the third inning to take an 8-3 lead.

The Marauders rallied for two runs in the third inning and four in the fourth to hold a 9-8 advantage. The third inning saw Gaffney smash a double to left-center field to bring home Papierski. Kalem Haney drove in Gaffney when he roped a double to left center.

Hull singled up the middle brought home Leafgren to open the scoring in the fourth. Gaffney smacked a single to right-center field, scoring Hull. The Marauders took the lead when Papierski and Gaffney scored after Mikey Ramirez beat out a double play attempt.

A solo home run by UMD tied the game up in the fifth inning. The game stayed tied until the bottom of the seventh inning when Papierski smacked a single to left field to score Leafgren and give the Marauders a one-run lead.

A scoreless eighth inning saw the Marauders three outs away from securing a victory. A two-run homer by Kade Peloquin gave the Bulldogs an 11-10 lead in the ninth inning. The Marauders failed to score a run in the final inning, securing a win for UMD.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Kieran Gaffney 3-for-5, 3 RBIs, 2 R, 2 2B, 1 BB

Krece Papierski 2-for-4, 2 R, 2 BB, 1 RBI

Bryce Leafgren 2-for-4, 3 R, 1 BB, 1 2B

Kalem Haney 1-for-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB

Noah Hull 1-for-4, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 R

Cole Smith 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB,

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