BASEBALL: CM outlasts Marquette, earns victory

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ALTON — The Civic Memorial Eagles overcame some hiccups in the field to defeat the Marquette Catholic Explorers 9-7 on Tuesday at Lloyd Hopkins Field inside Gordon Moore Park.

With the win the Eagles improved to 10-5 overall, while Marquette slips to 8-6 with the loss.

CM overcame 6 errors in the field behind a potent offense led by seniors Corey Price and Brandon Carpenter. Price was 3-for-4 with a double, a triple and 4 RBIs, while Carpenter had 2 hits, poking a double and a triple to go with a pair of RBIs.

Brandon Hampton and Jaxsen Helmkamp were efficient at the top of the order. The leadoff hitter Hampton scored 2 runs, while Helmkamp, the No. 2 batter, scored 3 times.

Christian Stawar garnered the win on the mound for the Eagles, tossing 6 innings, striking out just 1, but walking just 1 too. He allowed 5 runs, but only 2 earned on 97 pitches. Trenton Smith took the hill in the seventh for CM.

Brady McAfee suffered the loss for the Explorers, allowing 6 hits and 7 runs, but 6 earned, over 4 innings. McAfee fanned 7 and walked 3 on 87 pitches. Kyle Begnel and Nick Hemann pitched in relief.

Nick Messinger led the Marquette offense with 3 hits. Garrett Weiner, Zach Weinman and Liam Maher all had 2 hits for the Explorers and Weiner knocked in a pair of runs.

CM nabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Hampton drew a leadoff walk and came around to score on a Price double.

Marquette tied it up in the home half of the inning, taking advantage of a couple of Eagle errors.

CM then added a run in the second, 2 in the third and 3 in the fourth. Carpenter had a RBI double in the third and Price smacked a 3-run triple with the bases loaded in the fourth to highlight the scoring.

The Explorers tacked on 2 runs in the third and fifth. Weinman led off the third with a hit and was driven home on a single by Mike Neel. The second run came off of a CM miscue in the field.

Trailing 7-3 entering the home half of the fifth, Marquette cut the deficit to 7-5. Weinman reached on an error, Maher singled and Weiner drove them both home with a double.

CM added a little cushioning in the sixth when Carpenter blasted a RBI triple to center field to plate Helmkamp who had walked. Carpenter then scored on a wild pitch.

The Explorers made it interesting in the seventh, cutting it to 9-7. Catcher Ethan Kopsie coaxed a one-out walk and Konnar Morrissey reached on a fielder’s choice to set up Messinger’s RBI single. Weinman then added another RBI single to plate Morrissey, but that proved to be all Marquette could muster.

Neither the Eagle and Explorers are idle long, both having Wednesday games. CM heads to Jerseyville for a Mississippi Valley Conference showdown at 4:30 p.m. while Marquette plays host to Okawville at 4:30 p.m. at Hopkins Field.