Photo courtesy of Joe Brown/West Central Tribune: Junior Chase Alcorn, middle, and the Marshall baseball team celebrate after Alcorn hit a solo home run in the third inning of a non-conference game against Willmar on Monday, May 5, 2025 at Klemmetson Field in Willmar.

WILLMAR — Chase Alcorn hit a solo home run to headline the offense while Liam Kruse pitched a complete game on Monday as the Marshall baseball team jumped ahead early to claim a 10-1 win over Willmar on Monday.

Alcorn’s home run led off the third inning for Marshall, making him the second Tiger to hit a four-bagger this season along with Josh Kraft. 

The Tigers continued to tack on runs in the frame from there, as a pair of singles from Deagan Maurice and Cooper Mensink and a Levi Maeyaert walk loaded the bases with one out. Samuel Thor then cleared the bases with a three-run single, aided by an error, to make the score 9-1.

Kruse pitched all seven innings for the Tigers, striking out six Cardinals while allowing three hits and a walk. The lone run he allowed was an unearned run with two outs in the first, tying the game at one run apiece.

Marshall had scored in the top of the first. With two outs, Kruse drew a walk and was replaced on first by courtesy runner Tyson Louwagie. Louwagie stole second before scoring the game’s first run on an Eli Alcorn single.

In the top of the second, Maurice doubled, advanced to third on a passed ball and scored the go-ahead run on a Braxton Koster single. Maeyaert then reached on an error before Mensink bunted in Koster, and Kruse hit a two-run triple with two outs to make the score 5-1.

Maurice recorded a team-high two hits with a double, while Alcorn, Kruse and Thor each had a hit and a walk. Thor and Kruse tied with a game-high two RBIs each.

After a pair of scoreless innings, Marshall tacked on an insurance run in the top of the sixth when Thor walked, stole second and scored on a Kruse sacrifice fly followed by an error at third.

Marshall improves to 11-1 on the season with the win and next competes on the road against St. Peter (6-4) today at 5:30 p.m.

TIGERS SWEEP WASECA IN

SATURDAY DOUBLEHEADER

MARSHALL — Lights-out pitching and defense allowed the Marshall baseball team to shut out Waseca in a Big South Conference doubleheader at Legion Field on Saturday. Owen Kesteloot pitched a complete-game one-hitter in the second game, a 13-0 win in five innings, and Josh Kraft and Logan Miller combined for a shutout in the second, with Miller pitching the final 5 2/3 frames in the 6-0 victory.

Chase Alcorn, Andrew Stelter, Cooper Mensink and Kraft each notched a pair of hits over the two games, with Kraft driving in a team-leading four runs and Stelter and Alcorn each driving in another three.

GAME 1

Marshall 6, Waseca 0

A four-run third inning gave Marshall a lead that it never relinquished in the first game of the doubleheader. Stelter and Samuel Thor reached on consecutive errors to start the frame and Liam Kruse walked to load the bases with no outs. Miller hit a sacrifice fly to score Stelter for the go-ahead run, Alcorn singled in another, and Deagan Maurice walked before Koster hit a two-run single to make the score 4-0.

Miller took over the mound with one out and a runner on in the first in the second before getting out of the inning without a run allowed. He finished his 5 2/3-innings outing with eight strikeouts, limiting the Bluejays to a hit and two walks in the win.

Kraft struck out two batters while allowing a hit and a walk over 1 1/3 innings to start the game.

Alcorn recorded a pair of hits with a pair of RBIs, Kruse finished with one hit and a pair of walks and Koster notched a hit, a walk and two RBIs.

Stelter led off the fourth with a walk before scoring on an Alcorn single, and Mensink singled before scoring on an error in the fifth to bring the game to its final score.

Marshall 13, Waseca 0

Owen Kesteloot tossed a complete-game shutout in the second game, striking out 12 batters on 71 pitches while limiting the Bluejays to a hit and two walks. The Marshall bats capitalized with 13 runs to end the game via mercy rule in the fifth.

The Tigers put the game away with a nine-run fourth inning. Levi Maeyaert and Cooper Mensink walked consecutively to start the frame and Stelter drilled a two-run single into center field for a 6-0 Tiger lead.

With one out, Kruse was put on first after getting hit by a pitch and Kraft belted his third home run of the season, a two-run shot to left field, to bring Marshall’s lead to 9-0.

Another pair of walks to Eli Alcorn and Carter Prins put two runners on when JR Vierstraete hit an RBI single, and consecutive walks to Maeyaert and Tyson Louwagie forced in another run. A Shep Jensen two-run single then brought the advantage up to 13-0 before a double play ended the rally.

Kraft tallied a game-high six total bases with a homer, a double and four RBIs while Stelter contributed a triple and a single with three RBIs. Eli Alcorn and Mensink each also reached base with a hit and a walk while Maeyaert walked twice.

Eli Alcorn led off the second inning with his triple before scoring on a Chase Alcorn fielder’s choice. An inning later, Mensink singled before scoring on a Stelter triple. After Thor was hit by a pitch, Kruse drove in Mensink on a fielder’s choice and Kraft doubled in Thor for a 4-0 Tiger lead.

Kesteloot struck out three of the four batters he faced in the fifth, the exception being a walk, to seal the win in five innings.