Photo by Jake McNeill: Marshall third baseman Tyler Kraft flips his bat out of play after drawing a walk in the fifth inning of a Junior Legion baseball game against Renner (S.D.) on Tuesday at Legion Field in Marshall.

MARSHALL — A wide array of successful pitching arms and clean defense helped the Marshall Black baseball team pick up a pair of wins against Renner in a Junior Legion matchup on Tuesday at Legion Field. Marshall threw seven different pitchers across the doubleheader, with five of them putting together an ERA of 3.00 or better on the day, and committed just one error across the two games as they picked up a 9-6 win in the opener and a 4-1 win in game 2.

“I think they were definitely showing our [pitching] depth there,” Marshall head coach Chace Pollock said. “I’m starting to see these kids for the first time this year out on the mound, so… I want to throw them out there and see what they can do, and we did a great job today.”

Noah Frazee earned the win on the hill in the first game, throwing 3 1/3 innings of relief without giving up an earned run, while Andrew Lee limited Renner to one earned run in his three-inning start. Tyler Kraft also earned the win in the second game, allowing one earned run over four innings, while Cannon Craigmile and Noah Pieper combined for three shutout frames of relief.

“We won three games now because we’ve made plays and our opponents haven’t,” Pollock said. “In game two, we got out-hit, but we played really well defensively and that’s what wins the games, pitching and defense.”

Marshall next competes on Friday, when it kicks off its home tournament at Legion Field. They’ll take on Alexandria Red at 11 a.m. and Watertown Arrows on 5:30 p.m. on the first day of tournament play, with additional games on Saturday yet to be determined.

GAME 1

Marshall 9, Renner 6

Noah Frazee earned the win on the mound for Marshall with 3 â…” no-hit innings of relief to close out the game. He limited Renner to one unearned run on three walks and struck out three batters in the game.

Marshall trailed 5-4 heading into the bottom of the fifth when its bats got active. Trae Bailey legged out a double, Frazee walked and Cannon Craigmile was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out. A walk to Tyler Kraft and a bunt single by Keynan Coequyt each drove in a run. After Ethan Weedman reached first base when Kraft was forced out at the plate on a fielder’s choice, Ethan Boeck doubled in Coequyt and Weedman to give Marshall a 9-5 advantage.

Andrew Lee gave up one earned run on three hits and a pair of walks in his three-inning start to put Marshall in a good position for a win.

Yet, Renner surged back after Lee left the game in the fourth. Cole Raley gave up three earned runs without getting an out while Kael Frana gave up another run while getting two outs. Frazee finally got Marshall out of the inning, retiring the one batter he faced with Marshall trailing 5-4.

“We walked 10 guys in that game, so I think that was kind of the beginning and the end of all that,” Pollock said when asked about the team’s struggles in the frame. “If we don’t walk 10, then we’re in a good spot.”

Marshall got on the board early with a pair of first-inning runs. Boeck drew a walk to get on base and, with two outs, an RBI single from Noah Pieper and an RBI triple lined into center field by Bailey gave Black the early edge.

Renner first got on the board with a run in the top of the third, but Marshall responded when Jackson Sirovy walked and Pieper doubled, and both scored on a Frazee double to give Marshall a 4-1 lead before Renner’s four-run fourth inning.

Boeck, Pieper and Bailey each finished with a single and a double, as well as two RBIs and a walk for Boeck. Frazee also contributed a double, a walk and two RBIs for Marshall in the game.

GAME 2

Marshall 3, Renner 1

Marshall got its bats active early to claim a first-inning lead. Weedman singled, Boeck reached on an error and Pieper was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out. A walk to Bailey forced in the game’s first run, Frazee hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Boeck and Pieper scored on a passed ball to give Marshall a three-run cushion.

Renner answered with an RBI single in the top of the second, but the Marshall pitching locked in from there to keep Renner off the scoreboard.

Kraft threw the game’s first four innings to earn the win on the hill for Marshall. He struck out four batters on the day while giving up one earned run on four hits and a pair of walks.

The two teams remained scoreless for the next three innings after Renner got on the board before Marshall struck back in the bottom of the sixth. A runner caught stealing and a line out left the bases empty with two outs, but Craigmile walked, stole second, advanced to third on an error and scored when Kael Frana reached on a dropped third strike to make the score 4-1.

Marshall finished the game with two hits, one from Weedman and one from Sirovy, but drew four walks. On the defensive end, they committed just one error while capitalizing on four from Renner.

Pollock cited the team’s baserunning and its ability to execute with runners in scoring position as key factors in why Marshall was able to manufacture runs despite its low hit total. He also added that the team made additional plays, such as throwing a runer out at third base in the sixth inning when he was trying to extend a double into a triple, as a reason why Marshall was able to eke out the win.

Craigmile helped lock down Marshall’s with two scoreless innings of relief while Pieper earned the save with a scoreless seventh inning. Craigmile struck out three batters while giving up a pair of hits, while Pieper struck out two without giving up a hit. Neither walked a batter.