INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The Marian College baseball team closed out its 2007 regular season campaign with a split in a doubleheader with conference foe St. Francis at Marian Baseball Field on Saturday. The Knights opened with a 7-1 victory, but dropped the nightcap, 5-1.

The Knights jumped on the Cougars early in game one and did not look back as senior righthander Jeff Brunette (Indianapolis, Ind./Bishop Chatard) shut down the Cougar offense.

Marian took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first when senior Joel Strode (Canton, Ill./Canton) brought senior Bryston Bangel (Indianapolis, Ind./Decatur Central) home on an RBI-ground out. Senior Jason Moon (Anderson, Ind./Anderson) brought senior Cody Andrew (Hanover, Ind./Southeastern) home with a sacrifice fly to give the Knights the 2-0 advantage.

Marian tacked on one in the third and one in the fourth on an RBI-single by Andrew and an RBI-single by senior Derek Malikian (Charlottesville, Va./New River CC). Brunette would need little else, but the Knights were not done.

A three-run fifth put the Cougars away as Strode, who tripled to lead off the inning, was brought home on an RBI-triple by Moon. Sophomore Josh Terrell (Doswell, Va./Danville CC) laid down a perfect suicide squeeze to score Moon and junior Josh Gerald (Frankfort, Ind./Frankfort) singled home the final run to stake the Knights a 7-0 lead.

The Cougars would put one on the board in the sixth, but it was little consolation as Brunette completed his ninth game of the season and scattered just four hits to improve to 6-3 on the season. His earned-run-average is one of the lowest in the MCC at 2.00.

The Knights struggled in game two. St. Francis put two on the board in the top of the first, but Marian answered with one of its own in the bottom half. Moon singled home Bangel for what turned out to be the Knights' only run of the game. The Cougars put three more on the board to take game two, 5-1.

Moon led the Knights with a 4-for-6 performance at the plate as he had three RBI and a triple in the twinbill. However, he picked up the loss in game two as he gave up three earned runs over three innings. Senior Nick Schmutte (Sheridan, Ind./Sheridan) threw two-and-two-thirds innings ofs scoreless relief and allowed just two hits.

The Knights wait on results from the conference as their record is 16-25-1 overall and 11-10 in the MCC. Marian will head to the Mid-Central College Conference Tournament on Wednesday at Indiana Wesleyan in Marion, Ind. The Knights' opponent is still to be determined.