ST. GEORGE, KS – Timely production from Bryce Leafgren paired with an impressive bullpen game earned the University of Mary an 8-3 nonconference win to wrap up the Marauders four-game neutral site series with the University of Sioux Falls. The Cougars opened the day with a 6-3 victory as the two teams split the series by winning two games apiece.
 
NSIC play continues this weekend for the Marauders. In a shift of locations and a reworked schedule, UMary next plays four games against #17 Minnesota State University on Friday and Saturday, February 27-28, in Maryville, MO. Originally scheduled to be played over three days in Nebraska, weather concerns have forced the Marauders and the Mavericks to play their neutral site series at Northwest Missouri State University Bearcat Field. Friday's doubleheader begins at 12 noon with an 11 am twin bill start time on Saturday. The first three games are NSIC contests while game four is a nonconference meeting.  
 
GAME 1 | Sioux Falls 6 UMary 3
Despite a tremendous effort by a trio of UMary relievers to hold Sioux Falls to one unearned run over 5.1 innings of work, the Marauders were unable to overcome a 3-run first inning home run by the Cougars in the third and final Northern Sun contest between the two teams.
 
USF started fast as a walk and a hit batter preceded a 3-run home run by Mitch Iliff, the third hitter of the game.
 
Bryce Leafgren plated the Marauders first run in the bottom of the first with a sacrifice fly to right field scoring Kalem Haney.
 
Two unearned runs by USF in the 4^th increased the Cougars advantage to 5-1. UMary chipped away to close within 5-3 on a Kieran Gaffney sacrifice fly in the 4^th inning and an Isaac Pegors home run in the 5^th.
 
After gaining baserunners in both the sixth am seventh innings, the Marauders managed to bring the tying run to the plate in the ninth but were unable to rally.
 
Ryan Champbelain, in his first outing since earning NSIC Pitcher of the Week honors, came on in the fifth inning and allowed a single unearned run in 2.1 innings. He struck out two, allowed two hits and walked one. Cullen Wilson followed with two shutout and hitless innings. Brody Wrench pitched a scoreless ninth inning.
 
Haney reached base four times in five plate appearances. Be had a hit, a walk, and was struck by a pitch twice. He has reached base 11 times in 13 plate appearances through three games. Pegors finished 2-for-4 with a home run.
 
Logan Anderson earned the win after striking out five in six innings for USF. Owen Weadge pitched three scoreless innings for the save.    
 
 GAME 2: UMary 8 USF 3
Bryce Leafgren delivered a 2-run first inning home run and drove in a third run later in the Marauders 8-3 win over the Cougars. Mikey Ramirez added two RBIs and Isaac Pegors and Cullen Wilson both had two of the Marauders 11 hits as UMary posted its season-best run count.
 
USF scored single runs in the second and third innings to knot the game at 2-2. Pegors quickly pushed UMary back in front when he doubled home Hank Griffin in the bottom of the third. UMary added single runs on ground outs by Riley Pearce and Leafgren in the fourth and fifth innings. After the Cougars pulled within 5-3 in the sixth, the Marauders responded with three runs in the bottom of the inning with a 2-run single by Ramirez keying the surge.
 
Michael Fagerland earned the win in his first collegiate appearance. The redshirt freshman entered the game with a pair of runners on base and two outs in the third inning and proceeded to strike out the first batter he faced to end the inning and quell the Cougars uprising. The Bismarck, ND, native then retired the next six batters he faced, including three more on strikes. In 2.1 innings of work, Fagerland retired all seven hitters and rang up four strikeouts.
 
Matthew Lopez and Sam Hayen finished off the win for UMary with one inning of work each. Lopez struck out two and Hayen picked up one strikeout. Including three strikeouts by starter Tristan Eberle in 2.2 innings, the quartet of Marauders hurlers combined to strike out ten hitters in seven innings.
 
Kalem Haney was 1-for-3 in the game with a run scored, an RBI and a sacrifice fly. Over the four games the UMary second baseman was 6-for-10 with five runs scored, two RBIs, two doubles, three walks, was hit by three pitches and stole three bases. In all her reached base in 12-of-16 plate appearances.
 
Hank Griffin scored two runs and added a hit. All nine Marauders hitters had at least one hit in the game.
 
Mitch Iliff had two hits and an RBI to pace USF.
 
The Marauders are now 3-5 overall and 1-2 in the NSIC. The Cougars are 3-5 overall and 2-1 in the NSIC.
 
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