Photo by Jake McNeill: Marshall outfielder Samuel Thor (2) rounds second base during the first game of a Big South Conference doubleheader against Tri-City United at Legion Field in Marshall on Thursday. The Tigers earned a pair of five-inning mercy-rule wins over TCU by scores of 10-0 and 22-1.

MARSHALL — Owen Kesteloot continued his dominance on the hill while Braxton Koster hit his first varsity home run in the Marshall baseball team’s Big South Conference doubleheader against Tri-City United on Thursday. The Tigers found their momentum in the middle of the first game for a 10-0 win in five innings, and they carried that momentum into the second game to run away with a 22-1 win in five innings.

Kesteloot pitched a complete-game shutout in the Tigers’ opening win, bringing his record to 4-0 on the season in five appearances, while Logan Miller got the win after allowing one run over three innings in the second game.

“I just get on the mound, keep my mind straight and don’t worry about anything else,” Kesteloot said. “If they get a hit, they get a hit, but just keep throwing strikes.”

Josh Kraft tallied three hits for six RBIs over the course of the doubleheader, Samuel Thor added four RBIs on a pair of hits and Koster contributed three RBIs on one hit.

Marshall improves to 13-2 on the season with the win and will now prepare to go on the road to take on the reigning Section 2AAA champion Mankato East Cougars (11-3) on Saturday at 1 p.m.

“[We have to] just come into the game focused, and being focused from the time we get on the bus until the time we’re done,” Koster said of the game. “Getting good A-Bs [at-bats], getting on base, and being on our top tier.”

GAME 1 (5 inn.)

TCU 0

Marshall first claimed the lead in the bottom of the second when Koster blasted a two-run home run over the left field wall after Eli Alcorn drew a walk. The hit was Koster’s first varsity home run and the Tigers’ fifth of the season as a team.

“It felt good. I haven’t really felt much contact this year, but getting the barrel there felt really good, so I’m glad that it went over,” Koster said.

Kesteloot threw his second consecutive complete-game shutout for the Tigers, after also throwing all five innings with 12 strikeouts and one hit allowed in a mercy-rule win over Waseca on Saturday. This time around, Kesteloot struck out nine batters while limiting the Titans to two hits and no walks on the day. He’s yet to allow an earned run on the season over 20 1/3 innings, and hasn’t allowed an unearned run since his first start of the season on April 12 in a win over Belle Plaine. 

“In the offseason, I did a lot of working lifting and just practicing bullpenning,” Kesteloot said of his consistency this year. “I feel like I’ve really improved with just throwing strikes in general.”

The Tigers continued to build their lead in the third when Thor hit a leadoff single and scored on a Kraft double. Following a walk to Eli Alcorn, Chase Alcorn hit a two-run triple and then scored on a sacrifice fly from Koster to make the score 6-0. 

Marshall closed out the win with one out in the fifth. Koster started the inning with a walk and Cooper Mensink singled to put the clinching run at the plate. Koster scored on an error by the catcher, a passed ball scored Mensink and Andrew Stelter singled in Thor to trigger the mercy rule.

Mensink and Stelter hit consecutive singles to start the fourth, and Mensink scored when TCU made an error on a Thor bunt.

GAME 2 (5 inn.)

Marshall 22, TCU 1

After putting together a mercy rule win in the doubleheader’s opener, Marshall’s bats showed no signs of slowing down in the nightcap. The Tigers scored 11 runs in the second inning alone and cruised to a 22-1 win, behind an 11-3 edge in hits and playing error-free baseball while capitalizing on TCU’s six errors.

“Long [at-bats], prepping in practice, getting ready with two-strike approaches and putting the ball in play [allowed us to execute as we did],” Koster said of the team’s offensive performance.

Marshall took the lead in the top of the first when an error and two walks put Thor, Kruse and Kraft on base with one out. Chase Alcorn singled to drive in Thor and Kruse scored on a passed ball to give Marshall a 2-0 lead.

TCU threatened to remain competitive, answering with a run of its own in the bottom of the frame. Yet, the Tigers put any doubt to bed in the top of the second. Four walks, two doubles, two singles, a pair of TCU errors and a hit batter allowed the Marshall offense to explode for 11 runs in the frame to stake a 13-1 lead. 

The Tigers’ advantage only grew from there. While Marshall substituted in seven pinch hitters in the game, they still tacked on another five third-inning runs and four more in the fourth before a scoreless fifth inning solidified the mercy-rule win.

Miller struck out five batters over three innings in his start, giving up one earned run on three hits and a pair of walks. Logan Phillippe and Clayton Jones each also pitched a scoreless, hitless inning of relief, with Phillippe striking out two batters with one walk and Jones striking out one batter with two walks.

Kraft led the Tigers at the plate with two hits, two walks and five RBIs, with one of hits being a double. Kruse also had a pair of doubles and a walk for two RBIs, Thor drove in another three runs on one hit, and Degan Maurice singled twice. 

Brody Wixon accounted for three of Marshall’s 11 walks in the game.