The Marion Indians cut it thin Thursday night during their Wamac Conference doubleheader against Mount Vernon, but thin was good enough.

The Indians won a pair of squeakers, 4-3 and 5-3, at Marion.

In game one, Mitch Wagner and Addison Johnson led the Indians with three hits apiece and Josh Davila drove in the eventual winning run with an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth.

Levi Lochner registered the win in the opener by going 6 2/3 innings, striking out 11 batters and scattering seven hits.

“I just try to throw it in the zone and let them hit it and tonight they didn’t,” explained Lochner. “I just try to hit my spots.”

Christian Stekl came in to face two batters in the seventh, getting the save with the bases loaded.

The nightcap saw Marion build a three-run lead and add two more runs in the sixth to secure the win. Wagner, Davila, Nick Connolly and Logan Fuller all collected two hits. Wagner finished the night with five hits and four stolen bases.

“I just try to square the ball up and just keep it simple,” said Wagner. “I try to be ready and aggressive at the plate and in the field.”

David Kuhn was twirling a one-hitter through five innings for Marion in the second game, but like the first game he needed help from Stekl in the seventh to finish it
off. Stekl got the save in both games.

“I just depend on the defense to make the plays," said Kuhn. “I focus on the catcher and make them put the ball in play.”

“You just can’t try too hard when you come in to pitch,” said Stekl. “Good things happen if you just throw stikes.”

Marion raised its records to 18-8 overall and 10-5 in the Wamac.

“We still have a ways to go,” said Coach Steve Fish. “We still aren’t staying focused for a whole game, but we will get there.”

GAME ONE

MOUNT VERNON (3)
Timm, 2b, 4 1 1 0, Drahos, 3b, 4 1 1 0, Ryan, ss, 4 0 2 0, Kragenbrink, 1b, 3 0 0 1, Hansen, pr, 0 0 0 0, Welch, c, 3 0 1 0, Kray, dh, 2 1 0 0, C.J. Eldred, p, 0 0 0 0, Dahlstrom, rf, 3 0 2 0, Pisarik, cf, 2 0 0 0, Croghan, lf, 3 0 0 0. Totals 28 3 7 1.

MARION (4)
Wagner, 2b, 3 2 3 0, Stekl, ss/p, 3 1 1 0, Biery, 1b, 3 0 0 0, Johnson, c, 3 0 3 2, Hartman, cr, 0 1 0 0, Davila, lf, 3 0 1 1, Charipar, cf, 3 0 1 0, McGarvey, dh, 3 0 0 0, Lochner, p, 0 0 0 0, Kuhn, 3b, 0 0 0 0, Connelly, rf, 3 0 0 0, Fuller, 3b, 3 0 0 0. Totals 27 4 9 3.

Mount Vernon    000 120 0 - 3 7 2
Marion               102 010 x - 4 9 4

Eldred and Welch; Lochner, Stekl (7) and Johnson. W - Lochner. L - Eldred. S - Stekl. SB - Wagner (2), Charipar.

GAME TWO

MOUNT VERNON (3)
Timm, 2b, 4 0 0 1, Ryan, ss, 4 0 0 0, Kragenbrink, 1b/p, 3 0 1 0, Welch, c, 3 0 1 0, Hansen, cr, 0 1 0 0, Kray, dh/1b, 3 0 1 0, Drahos, p, 0 0 0 0, Pisarik, cf, 2 0 1 1, Dahlstrom, rf, 2 0 0 0, L.Eldred, 3b, 3 1 1 0, Croghan, lf, 3 1 1 1. Totals 27 3 6 3.

MARION (5)
Wagner, 2b/ss, 4 1 2 0, Stekl, ss/p, 4 0 0 0, Biery, 1b, 2 0 0 0, Johnson, c, 3 0 0 0, Davila, lf, 3 2 2 0, Charipar, cf, 2 1 0 0, McGarvey, dh, 2 0 0 0, Kuhn, p, 0 0 0 0, Connelly, rf, 2 1 2 2, Fuller, 3b, 3 0 2 2. Totals 25 5 8 4.

Mount Vernon    000 001 2 - 3 6 2
Marion               120 002 x - 5 8 2

Drahos, Kragenbrink (5) and Welsh; Kuhn, Stekl (7) and Johnson. W - Kuhn. L - Drahos. S - Seckl. 2B - Connolly, Fuller. 3B - Croghan. SB - Wagner (2)