Offensive prowess powers Marion to baseball sweep over Center Point-Urbana

CENTER POINT – Marion possesses one of the top offenses in the state.

The Indians rank among the top baseball programs in batting average, runs, hits, total bases and slugging percentage, regardless of class. They demonstrated that prowess Monday night.

Class 3A top-ranked Marion tallied 32 total runs and 27 hits in a sweep over host Center Point-Urbana in a Wamac Conference doubleheader. The Indians took the opener, 12-2, in six innings and rolled in the nightcap, 20-6, in five.

“The effort was much better,” Marion Coach Steve Fish said. “We hit the ball, obviously.”

The Indians have made a habit of battering the opposition, entering Monday with .391 team batting average and scoring 10.9 runs per game. They surpassed that against a Stormin’ Pointers staff that only allowed four runs a contest.

This season’s output is a product of time spent before it started. Senior all-state performer Gage Franck said the Indians are reaping the rewards of their efforts.

“I think we all put in the work during the offseason,” Franck said. “We all know everyone can hit up and down the lineup.”

Marion (20-3, 11-0) jumped on CPU early. It scored in the first for a 1-0 lead and added five in the third, including an RBI single from Owen Puk.

“Coach Fish is always making us compete to the highest level,” said Marion third baseman Jake Trca, who had three hits including two doubles. “We knew coming in, we knew CPU was going to be a good team. We knew they were going to be aggressive and come at us. Coach Fish told us to hit them first, they’ll hit back and it was going to be a roller-coaster ride.”

It was the first of six five-run innings in the doubleheader for Marion. The Indians pulled away with five in the fourth, receiving home runs from Myles Davis and Lucas Unsen.

The Indians feed off each other and it showed in the big innings.

“We’re feeling great,” Franck said. “We’re happy in the dugout. We’re happy for each other to get hits. We just know we can get the job done.”

Marion scored five runs in each of the four innings it scored in Game 2. In the first inning, Seth Blackford highlighted the frame with a three-run double, knocking in four total. Jaqson Tejada smacked a bases-loaded triple the following inning. Tejada also had a two-run single in the third to make it 14-1, accounting for half of the Indians’ runs at that point.

“The offense is a really strong side for us,” Trca said. “Coach Fish is always telling us to get to the extra 90 (feet). Get to the next base and make them make another play to get us out. If they do, tip your cap to them, but in high school baseball we can hope they make a mistake and get the extra 90.”

Kaden Frommelt added two hits and three runs for Marion in the nightcap. Ryan Paulsen, the No. 9 batter, had four hits, including three hits and two runs in the first game.

Marion emptied its bench in the final innings. Some of the bench players contributed hits. Freshman Lawson Berndt received his first start at second base, getting his first varsity hit.

“We’re confident in everyone,” Franck said. “It doesn’t matter who it is, we’re all going to hit.”

The Indians received a strong showing from Boede Rahe in Game 1. He improved to 5-0, going the distance and striking out 12. Davis won his third game this season, striking out six batters in a little more than four innings.

CPU fell to 9-11 and 6-8 in the Wamac.