TUCSON, Ariz. -- Collin Brantner hit his first career home run to highlight a five-RBI day and
Peter Bertel went 3-for-3 with a double as Macalester's won its fifth consecutive game to open the 2015 season in a rain-shortened 8-5 victory over Marian.
The Sabres struck first, scoring a run in the bottom of the first inning, before the Scots took the lead for good in their half of the second inning.
With one out,
Sam Berk started the rally with a single to left and Bertel followed by singling to right and their pair moved up a base on a wild pitch. With a full count, Brantner fouled off a pair of pitches before driving a ball over the fence in right-center field to plate three runs and put the Scots in the lead.
Macalester would score four runs over the next two innings to take a 7-1 lead, getting a pair of sacrifice flies from
Quentin Stuart and RBI singles from Brantner and
Tom Forster in the fourth inning.
Marian answered with three runs of its own in the fourth and cut the lead to 7-5 with a run in the sixth but, with the bases loaded,
Joseph Aulisi finished his second outing of the season by getting a ground out to work out of the jam.
A run in the top of the seventh would give the Scots a three-run lead as
Sean O'Brien took and worked an inning and two-thirds of scoreless relief but left with the bases loaded and two out in the eighth.
Forest Redlin came out of the bullpen to face pinch hitter Ryan Blise. After falling behind, 2-0, in the count, Redlin got a pair of called strikes before inducing Blise to ground out to first before the game was delayed, and eventually called, due to rain.
Eight of the Scots' nine batter collected base hits. Besides Bertel and Brantner,
Tom Forster also had a multiple-hit game, picking up a single and a double while driving in a run.
Aulisi, who won for the second time in two starts, allowed five runs, four earned, on 10 hits with five walks and six strikeouts. Redlin, making his third appearance, picked up the save.
Macalester will be back in action tomorrow when it plays a doubleheader versus Illinois Tech beginning at 9 a.m. PDT.
