Baseball Beats Marian; Moves On in Crossroads League Tournament
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Marian University | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 1 |
|
Saint Francis (Ind.) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | X | 9 | 8 | 1 |
MARION, Ind. - The University of Saint Francis (Ind.) baseball team opened the 2025 Crossroads League Baseball Tournament with a 6-9 win over the No. 5-seeded Knights of Marian University on Thursday, May 1.
The Knights opened the game with a home run, giving them an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning.
In the bottom of the second inning, Eli Riley led off with a solo home run to tie the game at 1-1.
After the Knights hit another home run in the the top of the third to retake a one-run lead, USF drove in two more runs thanks to RBI singles from Sam Pesa and Riley, making the score 3-2 in favor of Saint Francis.
The Cougars capitalized on an MU error to extend their lead to two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning.
The Knights tied the game in the top of the sixth with a two-run double to left center.
With the bases loaded and one out, Callan Stauffer scored on a passed ball, giving Saint Francis back a one-run lead. Senior shortstop Jayden Lepper then hit a three-run home run, bringing the score to 8-4.
A Marian homer in the top of the seventh inning cut USF's lead to two in the top of the seventh.
Lepper then hit his second home run of the game in the bottom of the eighth inning, adding another run for Saint Francis.
The Cougars kept the Knights off the scoreboard in the top of the ninth inning to secure a 9-6 victory, advancing to day three of the CL Tournament.
As a team, Saint Francis had eight hits and five walks against Marian. Lepper and Stauffer both went 2-4 at the plate. Lepper had his fourth and fifth home runs of the season and four RBI, while Stauffer had a double and a run scored. Riley hit 2-3 with a home run, two RBI and a stolen base.
Lukas North earned the win on the mound for the Cougars, recording seven strikeouts and allowing eight hits in six innings pitched.
Perry Stow collected a pair of strikeouts and held MU to just one hit in three innings of relief.
With the win, USF baseball (29-22) advances to face No. 6 Huntington University on Friday, May 2, at 6:00 p.m.
Cougar fans can stay updated on all events and recaps with USF Athletics by visiting saintfranciscougars.com.
