Photo by Samantha Davis. Marshall's Cooper Mensink receives a throw from catcher Levi Maeyaert for a successful tag-out of a runner stealing second base in the first game of a doubleheader against Alexandria Friday night at Legion Field. The Tigers defeated Alexandria 6-1 and Fairmont 10-0.

MARSHALL — The Marshall baseball team allowed just one run between 12 innings in a doubleheader for a pair of wins on Senior Day against Alexandria and Fairmont Friday night. The Tigers defeated Alexandria 6-1 before they shutout Fairmont 10-0 in five innings for their final regular season homestand.

“I’m really blessed with having great teammates with everybody, in our relationships on and off the field,” senior Carter Prins said. “One special thing about this group is that we all get along really well, and we’re there to pick each other up … We always got each other’s back.”

Samuel Thor and Liam Kruse each had a two-run RBI double in the first game, while Cooper Mensink went 3 for 3 at the plate in the second game along with Eli Alcorn and Kruse each throwing stellar pitching performances.

Alcorn pitched nearly the entirety of the first game, and finished with 10 strikeouts, four walks and two hits. Owen Kesteloot relieved in the top of the seventh for the final two outs, and pitched two walks with one hit.

Landon Gess-Norling threw for Alexandria, finishing with six strikeouts and one walk.

Kruse spent the second game on the mound against Fairmont, and finished with six strikeouts and no walks.

Fairmont’s Joe Long threw for 4 1/3 innings of the five, and finished with one strikeout, two walks and five earned runs.

Marshall finished the first game against Alexandria with 10 hits and two errors, and held the Cardinals’ to three hits and one error. Against Fairmont, the Tigers recorded seven hits and one error to the Cardinal’s one hit and one error.

“They [Alcorn and Kruse] allowed four hits, and that was impressive,” Marshall head coach Chase Pollock said. “I’m proud of them, and they’ve been doing that for us all year.”

Marshall honored its seniors in between games, marking the final time the group played on Legion Field in the regular season. The Tigers will graduate Thor, Prins, Mensink, Kruse, Logan Miller, Deagen Maurice, Josh Kraft, Kesteloot, Braxton Koster and Brody Wixon.

“[Today] was definitely fun. I mean, knowing it’s senior night and knowing it’s like your last big hurrah, and with the last day of school today too, things kind of start coming down to a close,” Prins said. “So, it’s don’t take any moment for granted and have fun while you can get a chance.”

Marshall (17-4) will next await Section 2AAA seeding for the postseason tournament, to be released in the coming days, and is set to begin on Wednesday at higher seed.

Marshall 6, Alexandria 0

Marshall and Alexandria both had strong defense with minimal errors, but it was the Tigers’ ability to play with continuous offense and make contact at the plate that flustered the Cardinals in response.

The Tigers took a 2-0 advantage with two runs in the bottom of the second inning and were able to hold onto their edge until Thor hit a double RBI in the fourth to bring in another two runs to extend Marshall’s lead.

Kruse’s double RBI in the sixth inning accounted for another two runs with a line drive hit to right field that landed directly on the foul line for a fair ball.

Marshall scored its six runs with two each in the second, fourth and sixth innings.

Mensink, Kruse, Thor and Andrew Stelter all had two hits, while Thor led with a trio of RBIs and Kruse had another two.

After a scoreless first inning, Marshall got bases loaded in the bottom of the second and a Stelter single line drive to left field scored Koster for the day’s first run.

Koster first got on base with a single grounder that got past Alexandria’s shortstop into short left field.

Levi Maeyaert got on base with a single to right field, and Shep Jensen went in to courtesy run for the catcher.

Jensen scored for the Tigers’ second run after a Thor pop fly sacrifice to center field after tagging third and charging home.

Marshall’s defense shined particularly in the the third and fourth innings to prevent the Cardinals from cutting into their deficit with two successful plays of Maeyaert throwing down to Mensink at second base for a pair of tag-outs on the runners’ attempt to steal.

Thor’s two-run double RBI in the fourth inning erupted the crowd and dugout as Marshall built more of a cushion.

Thor’s hit went to deep left field and ran in Jensen, again courtesy running for Maeyaert, and Mensink from third and second base respectively.

Maeyaert initially was walked, and Mensink hit a bunt down in the middle of the pitchers’ circle and first to make it safely on base.

The Cardinals again came close to scoring in the fifth inning with runners on first and second with two outs, yet Alcorn continued his stride after Pollock called a timeout to regroup, and he threw three strikes for the last out.

Kesteloot came to the mound in Alexandria’s final at-bat in the top of the seventh with a runner on base from a walk one out after Alcorn threw a strikeout.

Alexandria managed to get bases loaded with two outs off a walk and a hit, and another walk gave the Cardinals a run, 6-1. But, center fielder Chase Alcorn caught a fly ball for the final out to end the game.

Marshall 10, Fairmont 0 (5 inn.)

In a rematch of last weekend’s Big South Conference Championship between Marshall and Fairmont, with the Tigers claiming their second consecutive title with a 4-2 victory, Marshall embarked on an eight-run fifth inning off a series of earned runs for a 10-0 lead to end the game in mercy rule.

In a competitively close start between the two, Marshall scored a run in each the second and fourth between a walk with loaded bases and aggressive baserunning from Mensink to set up a lead.

Yet, the Tigers took advantage of Fairmont’s pitching struggles in the midst of their fifth-inning offensive surge with keeping bases occupied, and forced two pitching changes.

With a 2-0 lead stepping up to the plate in the fifth, Stelter got the scoring started after being hit by a pitch and made his way around the bases from a Kruse double line drive to left field.

Koster also was hit by a pitch, and Maurice hit a single to get bases loaded for the Tigers.

Fairmont head coach Don Waletich made the first change with sending in Brayden Williamson as relief with one out, however allowed another three Marshall runs with a hit by pitch, a single RBI hit and a walk.

Joseph Crissinger was sent in as the second relief pitcher, still with one out. Hits from Prins and Stelter, along with another pair of walks allowed Marshall four more runs.

“We were just trying to get outs by throwing strikes, and we had a hard time throwing strikes today,” Waletich said. “We couldn’t figure out a formula to get them out today, but that happens.”

Marshall ended the night with Koster back up to bat, and Stelter stole home from third base off a passed ball.

Mensink went 3 for 3 at the plate to lead Marshall offensively, along with scoring two runs and one RBI.

Wixon, Prins and Kruse all shared a team-high two RBIs.

After a scoreless first inning, the Tigers got bases loaded in the bottom of the second with one out when Prins was walked to automatically give Maurice from third base home and gave Marshall the 1-0 edge.

Maurice first got on base with a line drive single to left field.

Bases remained occupied, but a Long strikeout and a pop fly catch in right field by Vincent Schultz ended the inning and prevented the Tigers from extending their lead.

“I thought Joe Long pitched very well. We just didn’t get any outs behind him at all,” Waletich said. “Their [Marshall’s] kid, Kruse, pitched again very well against us. We can’t figure him out, he’s just very good.”

Mensink got on base with a bunt in the fourth inning, and stole second and third off the same play due to a Fairmont defensive error in an attempt to throw down to second base for the tag-out.

Mensink charged home for Marshall’s second run after tagging third off a Wixon sacrifice fly ball to center field.

“I thought today went really well, 16 runs in 12 innings … We were really hitting the ball well,” Pollock said. “We’re excited about where things are going.”