INDIANAPOLIS - The Marian University baseball team clinched its spot in the Mid-Central College Conference Play-in Series on Saturday with a doubleheader sweep over Grace College at on Senior Day Marian University Baseball Field. MU defeated Grace 11-1 in a six-inning game one before finishing off the sweep with a 5-3 win in game two.

The Knights are now 23-21 on the season and finished 15-9 in conference play. MU finished fourth in the league due to Bethel's victory over Taylor in their four-game series.

MU opened the first game with a solo homerun from senior Tony Goodpaster to take a 1-0 lead. After the Lancers knotted the score in the top of the second, the Knights added three more to open a 4-1 lead after two innings. Goodpaster and junior Todd Ungru each hit an RBI-double before sophomore Jared Mills finished off the scoring with an RBI-single.

They added three more in the fifth to break the game open as junior Cory Emmons ripped a two-run single before junior Austin Gibson hit an RBI-single to push the lead to 7-1.

MU was able to finish off the Lancers in walk-off fashion in game one. Ungru hit an RBI-single that was followed by an RBI-double by Emmons. Mills finished the ballgame with an RBI-single to give the Knights the 11-1 win in six innings.

Goodpaster, on the day he was being honored, went 3-for-3 with a double, a homerun and two RBI. Ungru finished 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored, while Mills went 3-for-4 with two RBI including the game-winner.

Senior Ricky Parrish threw five-and-one-third innings to pick up the victory. He scattered six hits, allowed one unearned run and walked one to improve to 6-3 on the season. Junior Aaron Wilder threw two-thirds of an inning of scoreless, hitless ball for the Knights.

Game two was a much closer affair. Grace opened the scoring in the top of the first, but the Knights answered in the bottom half with three of their own to take a 3-1 lead. Emmons went deep for a two-run homerun before Mills took a 3-1 pitch and hit it about 375 feet down the left field line to give the Knights back-to-back homers and the 3-1 lead.

They added another run in the bottom of the second as junior Jake Mullis scored on a wild pitch to stake MU a 4-1 lead.

The Lancers battled as they utilized different pitchers to keep the Knights off balance and slowly chipped away at the lead. They scored a run in the top of the third to cut the gap to two, 4-2, but Mullis gunned down a runner at the plate to hold the Lancers at bay after two-and-a-half.

Grace cut the lead to one run, 4-3, in the top of the fifth and continued to hold the Knights' offense at bay.

After the Lancers were hold scoreless in the top of the sixth, the Knights finally got back on the board as freshman Brett Metcalf ripped an RBI-double to right field to push the lead back to two at 5-3.

Goodpaster continued his hot afternoon after he went 2-for-3 with two doubles and a run scored in game two. Emmons finished 2-for-3 with a homerun and two RBI, while Metcalf and Mills each had a hit and an RBI.

Sophomore Caleb Small threw an inning of relief to pick up the victory, while sophomore Ben Walters held the Lancers over the final two innings to pick up the save with two innings of two-hit relief. Small improved to 3-1 on the season, while the save was the first of Walters' career.

The Knights will play host to Goshen College in the best two-out-of-three series beginning on Tuesday at Marian University Baseball Field. Tuesday will consist of two nine-inning games, while the third nine-inning game, if necessary, will take place on Wednesday . The first pitch time is still to be determined and will be announced on Sunday.