Key Hits Elude Trojans in Pair of One-Run Losses at Marian
Â
INDIANAPOLIS – Taylor went four-of-19 with runners in scoring position during Monday’s Crossroads League doubleheader at Marian and suffered 1-0 and 5-4 defeats to the Knights to drop the first league series of the season, after taking Friday’s series opener.
Taylor left runners in scoring position in five different innings and had a runner thrown out at the plate to end another in Monday’s first game, as the Trojans finished the extra-inning tilt without a hit in nine at bats with runners in scoring position and suffered a 1-0 defeat.
TU’s best chance came in the sixth, when Tanner Watson drew a walk and moved to second on a balk without any outs in the frame. Watson moved to third on a sac bunt but was thrown out at the plate after trying to score on a fly out to center field.
Marian (8-13, 2-1 CL) also failed to convert on multiple chances throughout, until a Taylor fielding error on a sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the ninth opened the door for the game-winner. The Knights capitalized by bunting the runners into scoring position and plating the lone run of the contest on a sacrifice fly for the 1-0 victory.
Wyatt Whitman collected two of Taylor’s four hits in the contest to pace the offense.
Tucker Waddups scattered seven hits and one walk over six innings of work, before Luke Shively fanned four and allowed two hits, two walks and one unearned run in 2.2 innings of relief.
In the nightcap, Taylor scored three runs in the fourth and fifth innings to take a 3-1 lead, as Watson delivered a run-scoring double in the fourth and TU got RBI singles from Sam Wiese and Nathan Targgart in the fifth.
The lead lasted into the bottom of the sixth, before Marian strung together a trio of two-out doubles in a four-run rally to take a 5-3 lead heading to the final inning.
Taylor threatened one more time after a pair of batters were hit by pitches and Targgart delivered another two-out single to plate Whitman and put the tying run 90 feet away. The key hit would not come however, as TU fell short, 5-4, and dropped the series two games to one.
Watson and Targgart each had two hits to account for four-of-six knocks for the Trojans in the seven-inning contest. Whitman scored two runs and Targgart drove in two.
Clay Riggins turned in a solid start by going 5.2 innings and limiting MU to three runs on eight hits, while striking out four.
RV Taylor (21-7, 1-2 CL) will look to bounce back on Tuesday, with a single game scheduled for 4:00 pm at Indiana Wesleyan (15-8, 2-1 CL).
