LEAD

CARLINVILLE, Ill. -- The brisk and brutal wind helped carry Blackburn to a double-header win against Maranatha. They finished with three home-runs on the day, one of which was a grand slam hit by Grace Mackey. 

The Sabercats could not match their opponents at bat, but still kept the Beavers from pitching a no-hitter. Ashley Nerat recorded Maranatha's only hit in the first game and Raquelle Melville recorded a hit for the Sabercats in the second.

OVERVIEW

• Results Game One: Maranatha 0-16 Blackburn
• Results Game Two: Maranatha 0-15 Blackburn
• Venue: Blackburn College - Carlinville, Illinois
• Attendance: 50
• Records: MBU (0-6), BC (5-9)

STORY 

Game 1
What appeared to be a nice sunny day, quickly turned into a brisk and brutal match against the wind. While the wind did not work in favor of the Sabercats, the Beavers seemed to use it to their full advantage at the plate. They recorded nine hits in the first inning alone, one of which was a grand slam from Grace Mackey, leading to an early 9-0 lead.

While this large deficit shook the Sabercats they continued to fight. Showing tremendous improvement in the field, they gave up only one run in the next inning. 

But despite their defensive improvement, Maranatha continued to struggle to put the ball into play at the bat. With only one hit in the game, coming from Ashley Nerat, the Sabercats fell 16-0 to start the night out. 

Game 2
The second game was not much different than the first, though it had a slightly better start. While the Beavers continued to connect at the plate, the Maranatha defense was able to close out the first inning having allowed only four runs. 

Blackburn continued to up their score throughout the game, with their best at-bat coming in the bottom of the third where they earned seven runs. But the Sabercats were once again only able to record a single hit, which came this time from Racquelle Melville. In the end Maranatha fell 0-15.

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Maranatha Lineup Game 1 - Melville (C), Searle (P), Strauch (SS), Malmanger (2B), Nerat (1B), Mullikin (3B), Mikkelson (LF), Swaffer (CF), Gaul (RF)

Maranatha Lineup Game 2 - Melville (C), McIntyre (P), Strauch (SS), Malmanger (2B), Searle (1B), Nerat (3B), Mikkelson (LF), Swaffer (CF), Gaul (RF)

STATS

• Last Time: Blackburn defeated Maranatha 20-3 and 18-4 in a double-header on April 11, 2023.
• Series: Blackburn now leads Maranatha 17-0 in the series.

OPPONENTS

• Blackburn competes in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (NCAA-DIII)
• Blackburn finished the 2023 season with a record of 11-25

NEXT

The Sabercats stay in Carlinville, Missouri to face Blackburn College in another double-header tomorrow, starting at 1 P.M. Details at mbusabercats.com/schedule.