DE PERE – After starting the season 5-0, the St. Norbert College baseball split a non-conference doubleheader with Marian University March 14.
The Green Knights won the opener 6-3 before falling victim to a late rally in dropping the nightcap 8-7 at Van Alstine Field at Mel Nicks Sports Complex in De Pere.
In game one, St. Norbert took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on run-scoring singles from Adam Cootway and Jacob Rajkovich.
The Sabres answered with two runs in the second, but St. Norbert pulled ahead for good with three runs in the fourth inning.
Rajkovich scored on an error, and Lucas Reynolds then posted a two-run triple.
Marian was turned away from a scoring chance in the fifth inning on an impressive throw from Cootway in right field to home plate on a sacrifice fly attempt for a double play.
Eric Kramer scored on an error in the sixth for the Green Knights, while Marian scored a single run in the seventh inning to close the scoring.
St. Norbert finished with 10 hits.
Reynolds was 2-for-3 with two runs batted in, while Cootway and Peyton Jack were both 2-for-3.
Tommy Maher improved to 3-0, allowing eight hits with two walks and seven strikeouts in six innings pitched.
In the nightcap, Marian scored five runs in the top of the seventh inning – including four after two outs – to erase a 7-3 deficit.
The Sabres scored one run in the top of the first before St. Norbert responded with three runs in its half of the inning.
Jack Maastricht had a run-scoring double, while Jack added a two-run home run.
Marian got a run back in the third inning to get to within 3-2.
St. Norbert scored twice in the fourth inning on an Alex Perez RBI single and a Reynolds sacrifice fly for a 5-2 lead.
Marian scored once in the sixth before Maastricht's two-run double for a 7-3 edge.
Marian rallied with five runs on three hits, with Logan Rademan's three-run double tying the game 7-7.
Nick Bastien singled to bring around Rademan for the go-ahead run.
The Green Knights had 11 hits in the nightcap, with Maastricht going 2-for-4 with three runs batted in, while Reynolds was 2-for-3 with two runs scored.
Cootway was 2-for-3.
Sam Fonder took the loss in relief.