SPRING ARBOR, MI – After a dominant win against Rochester Christian on Tuesday, the Spring Arbor baseball team traveled to Indianapolis to take on Marian in a huge Crossroads League series. The Cougars took an early lead in game one, but Marian quickly responded and took a lead that they would not relinquish in the second, eventually getting the win by mercy rule in 8 innings, 14-4. In game two, the Cougars responded with an offensive outburst of their own, scoring 3 runs apiece in the first two innings, and then breaking the door open in the 4th, plating 11 runs on the way to a 21-6 victory.  

 
SCORES:  
Spring Arbor 4, Marian 14 
Spring Arbor 21, Marian 6 
LOCATION:  
MU Ballpark | Indianapolis, Indiana 
RECORDS: 
Spring Arbor 15-11, 7-7  Marian 13-12, 9-5,  

GAME ONE HIGHLIGHTS: 

The Spring Arbor offense started out the game hot, as Joey Tessmer doubled to right to lead off the game, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a passed ball to give the Cougars an early 1-0 lead. Marian would not score in the bottom of the first, and Spring Arbor took an early lead into the second inning.  

Unfortunately, that lead would not last long however, as Spring Arbor went scoreless in the top of the second, and the Marian offense came alive in the bottom half, scoring three runs on an RBI single, RBI double, and a wild pitch to take a 3-1 lead. The Cougars couldn't respond in the top of the third, being held scoreless once again, and the Knights went right back to work, scoring 4 more runs on a three-run homer and a balk to extend their lead to 7-1.  

After a scoreless fourth for both teams, the Cougar offense found some life again in the 5th. Tessmer and Aiden Brunin walked to begin the inning, and Landon Raczkowski brought Tessmer in on a bloop double to cut into the Marian lead, 7-2. The next batter, Jake Zeeb would bring home another run with a sacrifice fly to center, and Ryan Gonzalez would conclude the scoring for the inning with a sacrifice fly of his own to right to pull the Cougars within 3, 7-4.  

Both teams would be held scoreless in the fifth, and Spring Arbor couldn't muster anything in the top of the sixth, as Marian found more offense in the bottom of the frame, scoring three runs on an errant throw on a bunt, a sacrifice fly, and wild pitch to extend their lead to 10-4. Both teams would leave the bases loaded in the 7th without scoring before Marian would throw the knockout punch in the bottom of the 8th, hitting a 3 run home run to left, and then sealing the 14-4 mercy victory with an RBI single. ? 
 
 
GAME ONE PERFORMERS 

Hitting: 

Landon Raczkowski: 2 for 3, 2B, RBI, R, HBP 

Joey Tessmer: 2 for 4, 2B, 2 R, BB, SB 

Jake Zeeb: 1 for 3, RBI, SAC Fly 

Ryan Gonzalez: 1 for 2, RBI, BB, SAC Fly 

Aiden Brunin: 1 for 4, 2B, R, BB, SB 

Conner Barkel: 1 for 3, 2B 

GAME TWO HIGHLIGHTS: 

After the Marian offense showed out in game one, it was Spring Arbor's turn in game two, and they started early, putting up three in the top of the first, all with two outs. Raczkowski started the rally with a hit by pitch, Zeeb reached on an error, and Gonzalez loaded the bases on an infield single, before the Marian pitcher lost control, walking Braydon Gregory and Conner Barkel, and hitting Zach Adams to give Spring Arbor the early 3-0 lead.  

Cougar starter Josh Murphy stranded a one-out double in the bottom of the first to hold the Knights scoreless, and the Spring Arbor offense added on in the top of the second, using a Ryan Gonzalez RBI single, a wild pitch, and a Zach Adams sacrifice fly to double their lead to 6-0. Murphy would strike out the side in the bottom half of the second to give the Cougars a comfortable lead going into the 3rd inning.  

Spring Arbor would be held scoreless for the first time in the game in the top of the third, and Marian would get one back in the bottom half on an RBI double to make it 6-1. From that point, the floodgates opened for the Cougars, as they scored eleven runs in the top of the fourth, courtesy of a Zach Adams 2-RBI single, a Connor Dee RBI hit by pitch, a wild pitch that scored pinch runner Cade Heckendorn, a Brunin RBI walk, RBI singles from Raczkowski, Zeeb, and Gonzalez, a 2-RBI double from Gregory, and an RBI double from Barkel, giving Spring Arbor a 17-1 lead. Marian would get a run back in the bottom of the fourth on a bases-loaded walk to make it 17-2, but Spring Arbor would add again in the fifth, scoring on a Gregory 2 RBI single, and another wild pitch that would score Gregory to make it 20-2.  

The Knights would add again in the next two frames with a two-run home run in the fifth and a solo shot in the sixth to make it 20-5, as Spring Arbor went scoreless in the top of the sixth. The Cougars would add one more run in the top of the seventh on an errant throw on a double play attempt by the Knights to extend the Cougar lead to 21-5. Marian would bring one more run across in the bottom of the seventh on a fielder's choice to third, but the game was well out of reach for the Knights, as Spring Arbor split the day with the 21-6 victory.  

GAME TWO PERFORMERS: 

Pitching: 

Josh Murphy: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 11 K's 

Ryan Ruhlman: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K's 

Brady Mitchell: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K's 

Hitting: 

Ryan Gonzalez: 3 for 4, 4 R, 2 RBI, HBP 

Braydon Gregory: 2 for 2, 2B, 3 R, 5 RBI, 2 BB, HBP 

Zach Adams: 2 for 3, 2B, 4 RBI, HBP, SAC Fly 

Conner Barkel: 2 for 5, 2B, R, 2 RBI, BB 

Aiden Brunin: 1 for 4, 2 R, BB, SB, HBP 

Landon Raczkowski: 1 for 4, 4 R, RBI, 2 HBP 

Jake Zeeb: 1 for 4, 4 R, RBI, 2 BB 

Eli DeVisser: 1 for 3, R, BB