Lancers’ surge continues in sweep of Marian
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Grace’s baseball team won its third straight game thanks to a sweep of Marian on the road Wednesday.
The Lancers (5-22, 5-8 Crossroads League) are the hottest team in the league and now sit within a half-game of sixth place in the league standings.
In the opener, Grace won 5-3 despite only tallying six hits. Ethan Brooks put Grace ahead with a two-out, two-RBI single in the second inning.
The Lancers doubled their lead to 4-0 in the fifth. Austin Baker’s single drove in Cameron Maxwell, and David Anderson’s sac fly scored Baker.
The Knights (12-20, 6-8 CL) plated three runs over the final innings, but it was not enough. Logan Swartzentruber tossed five sharp innings as the starter to get the win, giving up six hits and two runs while striking out five.
Jordan Noska shut down the Knights over the final two innings, yielding only two hits with two strikeouts. Baker hit 1-for-3 with two runs and an RBI, and Anderson was 1-for-3 with a run and two RBIs.
In the second game, a grand slam helped Grace rally for a 7-5 victory to finish the sweep. The Lancers were mostly muted for the first seven innings of the nine-inning affair. Baker launched a two-out solo home run in the fifth inning for the game’s first run.
Starting pitcher Scottie Clark held the Knights in check for much of his outing. But Marian, who was held scoreless for the first five innings, ripped off five runs on five hits in the bottom of the sixth.
After a scoreless seventh inning, Grace won the game in the eighth. Gabe Douglass, Hunter Ackerman, Anderson and Jaron Mullett opened the inning with four straight singles to score a run. Sid Elford then belted a grand slam on the next at-bat to give Grace the lead.
Later in the inning, Baker’s RBI double scored Maxwell for an insurance run.
Jacob Hammel handled the rest from the mound. The hurler held Marian to one hit over his 3.2 innings of relief. He did not allow a run and struck out four batters in a sharp performance.
Anderson batted 3-for-4 with a double and a run, Baker was 2-for-3 with two RBIs, and Mullett was 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI.
The Lancers will put their winning streak on the line this weekend with a three-game series at home against Taylor. The teams will play a doubleheader on Thursday at 2 p.m. and a single game on Saturday at 1 p.m.
