MARION, Ind. -- Just two days removed from a split at Marian Baseball Field, the Marian College baseball team traveled to Indiana Wesleyan to take on the Wildcats in a doubleheader on Saturday. The Knights and Wildcats split with IWU taking game one, 4-3 in eight innings, and the Knights pounding IWU in game two, 8-0.

Senior righthander Jeff Brunette (Indianapolis, Ind./Bishop Chatard) threw another fantastic game, but came up on the wrong side of the decision. Brunette threw his team-leading eight complete game and allowed just one earned run, walked just one and struck out four. His record falls to 5-3 on the season.

The Knights struck first as they posted a run in the top of the first. Senior Jason Moon (Anderson, Ind./Anderson) ripped an RBI-single to score senior Derek Malikian (Charlottesville, Va./New River CC) to stake Brunette a 1-0 lead.

The Knights increased the lead in the top of the third when freshman Mike Keltz (Avon, Ind./Avon) hit a sacrifice fly to score senior Joel Strode (Canton, Ill./Canton). However, the Wildcats tied the game in the bottom half with a pair of unearned runs.

Marian fought back to take a 3-2 lead in the fourth when senior Bryston Bangel (Indianapolis, Ind./Decatur Central) brought sophomore Chad Morris (Whitestown, Ind./Lebanon) home with a sacrifice fly. The senior center fielder had his 13-game hitting streak snapped as he finished the day 0-for-2 with an RBI. The lead was 3-2 with three innings to go.

A controversial call at the plate quelled a rally in the fifth inning as Keltz singled with two out and sophomore Josh Terrell (Richmond, Ind./Danville JC) followed with a double. Keltz rounded third and slid under the tag of the IWU catcher and was immediately called safe by the home plate umpire. However, the umpire reversed his decision and called Keltz out to end the inning.

Brunette sat IWU down in the fourth and the fifth, but the Wildcats tied the game in the sixth on a sacrifice fly. Neither team threatened in the seventh and the game went to extra frames at 3-3.

The Knights went down quickly in the eighth and the Wildcats manufactured the winning run to pull out the game, 4-3.

Game two saw senior Jason Moon (Anderson, Ind./Anderson) pick up his third win of the season with a complete game, six-hit shutout. The complete game is Moon's fourth of the season while the shutout is his second.

The Knights jumped on IWU quickly as they posted three in the top of the first inning. Bangel reached on an error and stole second. He was quickly brought home on an RBI-single off the bat of senior Cody Andrew (Hanover, Ind./Southeastern). Moon singled and with runners on the corners and two out, Morris hit a two-run single to give the Knights a quick 3-0 lead.

That was all Moon needed, but the Knights were not done supporting their pitcher. Marian posted two more after Malikian hammered his fifth home run of the season and Morris, who doubled and moved to third on a wild pitch, scored on a sacrifice fly from junior Kevin Shepherd (Fortville, Ind./Ancilla JC). The Knights now had a comfortable 5-0 lead with two innings to play. They were not done.

The Knights tacked on three more over the sixth and seventh innings. Andrew tripled in the sixth and Strode hit an RBI-single to score Andrew. In the seventh, freshman Jaccob Pickett (Monticello, Ind./Frontier) singled to open the inning and scored on a fielding error. Moon singled home Strode to give himself the 8-0 victory.

Andrew led the Knights going 5-for-9 over the twinbill with a triple, an RBI and two runs scored. Moon finished 4-for-9 with two RBI while Strode finished 3-for-8 with an RBI and two runs scored.

Marian record stands at 14-22-1 overall and 9-8 in the Mid-Central College Conference.

The Knights come back to Marian Baseball Field on Sunday when they host Goshen College at 1 p.m.