MARSHALL, Minn. – The University of Mary used a 10-run second inning to help build an early 14-1 lead and went on to earn an 18-13 victory over Southwest Minnesota State in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference baseball on Sunday at Legion Field.
 
UMary won two of three games in the weekend series and moved into a tie with SMSU at 18-17 in league play. The Marauders improves to 22-22 overall, while the Mustangs drop to 23-19 overall.
 
UMary snapped a 1-1 game in the second plating the 10 runs on eight hits. The Marauders finished the game with 20 hits, which included five doubles and two home runs.
 
The Mustangs had a big offensive day as well collecting 21 hits with four home runs and two doubles. Jared Cortez had a career day going 5 for 5 with two RBIs, while Cory Bantam tied a career-high with four hits while belting a pair of home runs.
 
Nathan Wheeler, Levi Lampert, Brock Woitalla, Tyler Froland and Owen Latendresse each finished with two hits for the Mustangs.
 
Krece Papierski had five hits and three RBIs to pace the way for the Marauders.
 
Shay Endres (2-3) started the suffered the loss for the Mustangs tossing the first 1 1/3 innings, allowing eight runs (six earned) on six hits.
 
Brady Petron, making his first pitching appearance in two seasons, fired three shutout innings allowing two hits with three strikeouts and one walk. Cole Frisbie tossed a scoreless top of the ninth for the Mustangs.
 
UMary scored an unearned run in the top of the first, but SMSU quickly responded in the home half of the first with Bantam, Cortez and Froland drilling three straight two-out singles, with Froland driving home Bantam, to tie the game.
 
The Marauders answered with the decisive top of the second inning with the first batter reaching on a Mustang fielding error. It was the first of five straight batters to reach base in the inning with UMary taking a 4-1 lead. Following a sac bunt for the first out, the Marauders used two more hits to take a 7-1 lead and end Endres' day. Bennett Knapper came into pitch for the Mustangs but could not stop the Marauaders onslaught as UMary used three hits, a hit by pitch and walk to take an 11-1 lead.
 
Trailing 14-1 in the third, SMSU scored its second run of the game on a solo home run from Bantam. UMary added three more in the fourth, but SMSU came back with two runs in the fourth behind a solo homer from Lampert and Latendresse scoring on a wild pitch.
 
UMary pushed across a single run in the fifth to build an 18-4, before SMSU closed the game scoring the final nine runs. In the sixth, Bantam and Froland each stroked two-run home runs to cut the gap to 18-8.
 
SMSU kept the game alive in the seventh with Levi Iverson and Luke Ruter each collecting their first collegiate hits to open the inning. Latendresse drove home the first run of the frame with a fielder's choice before Bantam hit into a double play to score another run. The final run of the inning scored on a Cortez single to make the score 18-11.
 
The Mustangs scored the final two runs of the game in the ninth on a Bantam RBI single and sac fly by Cortez.
 
SMSU remains in a tight battle to finish in the top eight in the league standings with five games remaining. The Mustangs play a doubleheader at the University of Sioux Falls on Tuesday before closing the regular season with a three-game set at Minnesota State on Friday and Saturday.