ORMOND BEACH, Fla. - The Marian University baseball team picked up its first victory of the season Monday at the Ormond Beach Sports Complex in Ormond Beach, Fla. The Knights defeated Olivet Nazarene University (Ill.) by a 5-3 margin in the nightcap after dropping game one, 9-2, to Aquinas College (Mich.) in the morning. They are now 1-3 on the season.

After fighting through the first inning of the nightcap where Olivet Nazarene scored the first run courtesy of a walk and an error, sophomore lefthander Neil Hackett (LaPorte, Ind./LaPorte) settled down and allowed just two more runs on three hits over six-and-a-third innings. He struck out eight and walked three to earn the team's first victory of 2010.

On offense, the Knights just needed two innings to do the damage. They answered in the bottom of the second to tie the score as senior Tony Goodpaster (Avon, Ind./Wabash) laced a double down the left field line that brought junior Austin Gibson (Indianapolis, Ind./Transylvania) to the plate to tie the game, 1-1. It was the bottom of the third that gave MU some breathing room.

Junior Bobby Willis (North Vernon, Ind./Jennings County) was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning before freshman Brett Metcalf (Lebanon, Ind./Lebanon) and sophomore Evan Schludecker (Indianapolis, Ind./Roncalli) hit back-to-back singles that brought Willis to the plate with the inning's first run. Junior Jake Mullis (Coatesville, Ind./North Putnam) ripped an RBI-single up the middle to score Metcalf before Goodpaster laced a two-run double down the left field line that put the Knights in front by a 5-1 margin after three innings.

Hackett cruised through the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings before encountering fatigue in search of the complete game. A pair of ONU singles opened the inning and a walk loaded the bases with one out. Head coach Kurt Guldner pulled Hackett in favor of senior Ricky Parrish (Avon, Ind./Avon) to close it out. He struck out the first batter on three pitches, but allowed a two-run single to allow ONU to cut the lead to 5-3. But, Parrish fanned the final ONU batter to send the Knights to the victory and earn his first career save.

Seven different Knights tallied a hit with Goodpaster going 1-for-3 with a double, two RBI, and a run scored. Gibson finished the game 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI to lead the Knights.

It was one inning that hurt the Knights in game one as Aquinas put six runs up in the top of the second inning to take an early 6-0 lead.

MU tried to battle back in the bottom of the third as junior Todd Ungru (Madison, Ind./Shawe Memorial) hit an RBI-single that brought Willis to the plate. Ungru got caught up in a rundown and allowed Metcalf to score and cut the lead to 6-2. However, that was the only scoring MU would do for the first game.

Aquinas put one more on the board in the fourth and two more in the sixth to earn the 9-2 victory.

Willis was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with a run scored, while Gibson finished 2-for-3 to lead the Knights in the opener.

MU heads back to the Ormond Beach Sports Complex on Tuesday when they take on Ohio Dominican University at 10 a.m. before taking on Aquinas College (Mich.) in a return matchup at 2 p.m.