GALESBURG, Ill. -- After an opening-game slugfest in Galesburg, the Sabercats grabbed their first win of the season and Joe Anderson grabbed his first career win for the Blue & Gold with a thrilling 10-9 win over Knox College yesterday.

Cameron Curcuro had three extra-base hits for the Sabercats on the day while Teddy Haugen recorded a triple. The Sabercats had 7 extra-base hits in total on a crazy day at the plate in the twinbill.

The win concludes the spring trip for the Sabercats, who will return to action on Tuesday at Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin.

OVERVIEW

• Game One Results: Maranatha 6-15 Knox
• Game Two Results: Maranatha 10-9 Knox
• Venue: Blodgett Field
• Location: Galesburg, Illinois
• Records: MBU (3-11), KC (8-7)

STORY
It was a hitter's wind in the opener, as the two teams took advantage of a 20-mph guster that sent the baseball straight out to center field. The two teams combined for 11 extra-base hits, including a triple from Haugen and three home runs from the hosts. Knox scored 10 in the opening two innings, and Maranatha's first attempt at an answer came in the third with an RBI double from Curcuro, an RBI triple from Haugen, and an RBI single from Don Wheeler. The temperature of the game changed a little at 10-4, but Knox was still in charge.

Maranatha's final push came in the fourth, when Tim Nickels took advantage of a Knox error to score the fifth run for MBU, then Curcuro had another RBI double, pulling the ball down the third-base line to score Emerson Pease. Knox sealed the win in the fifth, with the final three runs coming off a moon shot to left from the bat of Etienne Thomas.

The Sabercats had the last laugh, however, as Anderson picked up his first career win by pitching a hitless three innings. Anderson came on as a reliever in the fifth inning with the Sabercats down 8-6, promptly striking out the first two batters he faced in a 1-2-3 inning. 

Anderson's game-changing appearance came just after the Sabercats had logged 5 runs off 4 hits in their previous at-bat, a spree fueled by a double from Anderson and a 2-RBI single from Pease. 

Singles from Judson Martin and Timothy Searle kick-started the sixth inning, where the Sabercats finally took the lead thanks to an RBI from Jonathan Jeske and another RBI double from Curcuro. The seventh inning was a fitting finish to the tight twinbill. Maranatha scored a run in the top of the inning through an RBI single from Anderson, whose bat, fittingly, provided the game-winning run.

The Prairie Fire was finally extinguished in the bottom of the inning, only after their scored one run off a throwing error from Maranatha. The final out was a grounder to short after Anderson fanned the first two Knox batters.

It was a day for Cururo at the plate, and it was a day all-around for Anderson, who got his first win in Maranatha colors while providing the game-winning RBI.
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STATS

• Box Score (Game 1)
• Box Score (Game 2)
• Series: These were the first games in the all-time series

OPPONENTS

• Knox competes in the Midwest Conference (NCAA DIII)

NEXT

The Sabercats return to action on Tuesday with a doubleheader at Northland College. Follow at mbusabercats.com/schedule.