Photo by Jake McNeill: Marshall's Cody Wichmann runs toward third base during an amateur baseball game against Sacred Heart, Sunday in Marshall. The A's took on the Willmar Rails in a road matchup on Wednesday, falling 4-3.

WILLMAR — A strong defensive and pitching performance from the Marshall A’s wasn’t enough for them to pick up a Corn Belt League win over the Willmar Rails on Wednesday night. The A’s led from the third inning up into the ninth, but the Rails ultimately walked off Marshall 4-3.

The A’s led 3-2 heading into the bottom of the ninth when a walk and a Marshall error put the winning run on base for Willmar. The Rails followed up with back-to-back RBI singles to send Marshall home with a loss.

Liam Kruse put together a heroic performance on the mound in a no-decision. Throwing the first eight innings, he limited the Rails to one earned run on five hits and two walks. He also struck out nine batters while throwing 120 pitches in the game. Josh Kraft took the loss in relief.

Willmar scored on an RBI single in the top of the first, but they didn’t lead for long. After Kraft was hit by a pitch to lead off the second inning, Andrew Stelter reached first on a fielder’s choice and scored the tying run on a Kruse double. An inning later, Cody Wichmann hit a leadoff single and scored on a Connor Neubeck sacrifice fly for a 2-1 A’s advantage.

Wichmann and Kruse each recorded a pair of hits in the game, including a double for Kruse. The A’s finished with 10 hits to the Rails’ seven.

Wichmann scored for the second time of the day when he led off the fifth with a single and went home on a Kraft fielder’s choice. Still, Willmar trimmed the lead back to a run with an RBI single in the sixth.

Marshall falls to 4-3 on the season and looks to remain above .500 when it heads to Belle Plaine for a weekend tournament. The A’s will play three games in the event, starting on Friday at 8 p.m. with an additional game on Saturday and Sunday.

BOX SCORE

BATTING

C. Wichmann: 2-5, 2 R, SO; A. Toulouse: 0-3, BB; C. Neubeck: 0-2, HBP, RBI, SO; J. Kraft: 1-3, HBP, RBI, SO; A. Stelter: 1-3, R; C. Jacobson: 1-2; O. Kesteloot: 1-1; L. Kruse: 2-4 (2B), RBI, SO; J. Vierstraete: 1-3; J. Sirovy: 1-3 (2B), BB, SO.

PITCHING

L. Kruse: 8 IP, 5 H, 2 R, ER, 2 BB, 9 SO; J. Kraft: L, 0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, ER, BB.