If it wanted a shot of confidence before the playoffs, the Marcellus baseball team sure got it on May 22 when it rallied to beat Bishop Ludden 6-5 in eight innings.
Marcellus was down 1-0 when, in the top of the third inning, it put across three runs. The lead grew to 4-1, but Ludden erased with a four-run rally off starting pitcher Jordan Smith that included John Rooney’s home run. Aaron Maher also went deep.
Somehow, Marcellus shook this off (plus a Joe Cornish ejection) and, in the top of the seventh, tied it with a run off Ludden reliever Matt Pirro to force extra innings.
In the top of the eighth, the Mustangs scored again, and Adam Breuer, pitching in relief of Smith, blanked the Gaelic Knights in the bottom of that frame to win it.
Scott Cotter led Marcellus with three hits and three RBIs. And John Marrs made some history when he got the 109th hit of his varsity career, setting a new Marcellus school record. Dan Heil and Adam Szymaniak earned one RBI apiece.
A day earlier, the Mustangs (13-8, 8-7 league) went to Corcoran last Thursday and took a 6-4 defeat to the Cougars.
Heil pitched well — but only after a first inning where Corcoran touched him up for four runs. With Marrs earning two doubles and two RBIs, Marcellus pulled within one, 5-4, in the third inning, but Corcoran pticher Shawn Gregg shut them out the rest of the way.
