TUCSON, Ariz. – Sophomore Graham Low (Piedmont, Calif./Piedmont) hit two home runs and a triple, and drove in six runs as the Macalester College baseball team held off Salem State University, 15-10 at the Tucson Invitational Monday afternoon at Kino Sports Complex. The Scots are now 6-2 on the season, while the Vikings fall to 3-3.

Low's first home run came in a seven-run third inning, as Macalester took an 8-0 lead. Junior Nick McMullen (Payson, Ariz./Payson) hit a two-run double, junior Collin Brantner (Farmington, Conn./Kingswood Oxford), senior Alex Dash (New York, N.Y./Columbia Grammar & Prep) and junior Ben Castagnetti (Bethesda, Md./Walt Whitman) each singled home a run, and Low blasted a two-run, opposite field homer to right-centerfield. The home run was the first round-tripper for Low and the Scots this season.

But the resilient Vikings mounted a comeback with two runs in the fourth, three runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth to make it a one-run game, 8-7. With momentum clearly with Salem State, Low swung the pendulum in the Scots' favor with a solo home run in the eighth inning over the same spot in right-centerfield. The blast sparked a three-run eighth, with first year Carl Francalangia (West Hartford, Conn./The Loomis-Chaffee School) delivering a two-out, two-run single for an 11-7 advantage.

Again Salem State responded, scoring three runs in the bottom of the eighth to make it a one-run game, 11-10. Andrew Deloury provided the clutch hit with a two-run single in the inning. In the top of the ninth, McMullen and Brantner hit back-to-back singles, then moved up a base on a wild pitch. With one out, senior Quentin Stuart (Nashville, Ind./Indiana Academy) was intentionally walked to load the bases and set up a force out at every base. But the next batter was Low, and he would not cooperate with the Vikings' strategy. His third mighty swing of the game sent the ball to that same right-centerfield fence, this time hitting the fence on the fly for a bases-clearing triple. Sophomore Sam Goldberg (North Potomac, Md./Thomas S. Wooten) followed with a single to plate Low for a 15-10 lead.

This time Salem State did not recover, as McMullen retired the Vikings in order in the bottom of the ninth to wrap up the victory. McMullen earned the save, while the win went to junior Joe Trier (Madison, Wis./West), who allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits and no walks while fanning two in two innings of relief. Low, Brantner, Goldberg and sophomore Jared Abelson (Herndon, Va./South Lakes) each had three hits, as Macalester pounded out 21 hits in the game.

Macalester and Salem State will meet again on Wednesday, Mar. 15 at the Tucson Invitational in another single game. The first pitch is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. Pacific at Kino Sports Complex.