Marshall Baseball lost a three-game series over the weekend to St. Johns.

On Saturday, Marshall lost 8-4.

“The beauty of baseball is you get another game tomorrow,” Herd Baseball Head Coach Greg Beals said after the loss. “We lost our Friday game last weekend, and we responded well on Saturday with a win, and I challenge our guys to do that again tomorrow.”

Marshall got things rolling in the   first inning after Owen Ayers walked; Gabriel Cabrera advanced to second; Kyle Schaefer advanced to third and Luke Edwards scored, putting Marshall up 1-0.

St. Johns responded in the second with a double by Marty Higgins, scoring Kevin Michaels to tie the game, and later Paul Orban struck out swinging, reached first on a passed ball; Higgins advanced to third and Aaron Mann scored, unearned, putting St. Johns up 2-1.

In the third inning, Marshall scored two runs on a solo home run by Cabrera Gio Ferraro single that scored Ayers putting Marshall up 3-2.

St. Johns would score six unanswered runs through the next five innings.   

Through those five innings, Jace Jeremiah doubled to right field, Higgins advanced to third and Austin Machado scored. Higgins homered to left field; Paul Orbon homered to left field; Machado singled up the middle; Mann advanced to second; Michaels scored; Tate Ballestero homered to right field and Jackson Tucker scored.

Marshall responded in the bottom of the eighth with an Ayers home run, but more would be needed as Marshall would fall in game one.

Patrick Copen was the starting pitcher and, ending his 4.2 innings, pitched with 10 strikeouts. Bryce Blevins would end up with the loss (1-1).On Sunday, Marshall played a doubleheader with St. Johns.

In game one, the Herd won 4-2.

St. Johns started first in the second inning after Jimmy Keenan doubled to left center, scoring Ballestero and a Paul Orbon single, scoring Higgins.

Marshall then would score four unanswered runs in the third, fifth and sixth innings.

In the third, Daniel Carinci singled, scoring Amari Bartee. Carinci tripled in the fifth inning, scoring Cam Harthan. In the sixth, Schaefer homered, scoring Edwards.

“We got the big hit from Schaefer. The two-run homerun to give us the lead, and Drew took care of it from there,” Beals said.

Drew Harlow was the winning pitcher (3-0).

“Drew has been really good for us early on this season,” Beals said. “He was as good as he’s been today, was just what we needed.”

In game two, St. Johns won 5-3.

St. Johns got on the board first in the second inning when Tucker grounded to shortstop, scoring Mann.

Then later in the fourth, Higgins doubled to left center, scoring Machado, putting St. Johns up 2-0. Then Jeremiah singled to left, scoring Higgins, making it 3-0. Then Ballestero doubled down the right field line, scoring Jeremiah, making it 4-0.

In the fourth inning, it was more St. Johns when Tucker reached on base by a fielding error, scoring Higgins, making it 5-0.

Marshall rallied in the eighth after Calin Smith singled, scoring Chris Noble. Then Ayers doubled to right, scoring Smith and Kebler Peralta, making it 5-3, but it was not enough as the Herd fell short.

Zac Addison was the starting pitcher and was given the loss (0-2). He pitched 3.2 innings while striking out four.

“The character of our ball club is not going to allow us to stop,” Beals commented about game two. “We put those three runs up in the eighth and put us in position. We just needed two runs in the ninth. We just needed to put a runner on base, and we weren’t able to get it. They did a great job executing pitches in game two. Their starting pitcher, you have to give him credit. He commanded the outer part of the plate and used his changeup very effectively, and so did their closer.”