Nine-Inning Affair Ends Taylor’s Season Against No. 22 Marian in Crossroads League Tournament

Crossroads League Championships Central

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Taylor (25-25) saw its season end on Thursday in an extra-inning affair against No. 22 Marian (33-15), falling 6-5 in heartbreaking fashion.

After trailing 4-0, Taylor rallied to take a 5-4 lead before seeing the Knights tie the game to send it into extra innings before the home team walked it off with a bases loaded single in the ninth.

Bella Browning, Livie Lehmann and Lizzy Sinders led the squad with three base knocks apiece. Browning drove in three and had TU's only extra-base hit with a double in the five-run fourth.

Marion scored four in the bottom of the second, via a bases-clearing Triple by Abbey Hofman followed by an RBI double off the bat of Delaney Rundle.

The Trojans had baserunners in the first four innings and finally found the elusive clutch hit in the fourth. Grace Mullins led off the frame reaching on an error, and Lehmann followed with her second single of the contest. A flyout to right left runners on the corners and Delaynee McCreary delivered an RBI single to get TU on the board.

Sinders singled up the middle to load the bases before Madisyn Standridge legged out an infield hit to get Taylor within two. Browning came to the plate with the bases full and lined a three-RBI double just over the first baseman's glove to give TU its first lead of the tournament at 5-4.

Marian battled back with a run in the fifth to tie the ballgame, which would remain deadlocked at five until the Knights scored in the bottom of the ninth to end Taylor's season.

Claire Cullen battled inside the circle, firing five strikeouts over eight-plus innings. The sophomore handled every inning of the Crossroads League Tournament for the Trojans an a team-high 131.2 innings this season. Cullen was named to the All-Crossroads League Tournament team for her terrific performance in two starts against top competition. 

Taylor is set to return its top two arms along with five regulars in the starting lineup as it looks to improve upon its 25-25 record and fourth-place finish in the Crossroads League.