AURORA, Ill. (SabreAthletics.com) – The Marian University baseball team held multi-run leads in both games, but were unable to hold on as the Northern Athletics Conference-leading Aurora University Spartans recorded the doubleheader sweep on Senior Day, winning by scores of 9-3 and 6-5 at Solfisburg Park, this afternoon, April 28.

The Sabres took a 2-0 lead in the third inning of game one and a 3-0 lead in the first inning of game two, but came up on the short end both times. The Spartans outhit the Sabres 26-18 on the day. Aurora strung together two of those hits in the bottom of the ninth inning of game two that led to a walk-off 6-5 victory.

Marian was led by Chase Eagan, who finished the day with five hits in 10 at-bats. Will Martin also tallied multi-hit efforts in both games, going 2-for-5 in each. Swain led the Spartans with five hits on the day, including a 3-for-4 output in game one. Walden and McMahon added four hits apiece as well.

Marian dropped to 17-13 overall, 11-9 in the NAC, while Aurora improved to 22-9 (16-4 NAC).

Marian's Trevor Nicholson got the start in game one was on his game for the first four innings, striking out two Spartans to open the game in the first.

In the top of the third, the Sabres took a 2-0 lead on a pair of RBI singles by Eagan and Chad Langley. Nicholson then blanked Aurora in its half of the third, but ran into trouble in the fourth when the Spartans got their first run in part to a Sabre error.

The unearned run cut the Marian lead in half and the Sabres got that run right back in the top of the fifth with an unearned run of their own.

The Spartans weren't silenced for long as they put together a six-run fifth to make up the deficit and gain their first lead of the game. The rally was highlighted by McMahon's two-run single to give Aurora a 4-3 lead, followed by a two-run homer by Walden to stretch the advantage even further.

The Sabres never recovered, falling 9-3.

In game two, Brandon Winfield continued his prowess on the mound for the Sabres. He held the Spartans scoreless for the first three frames, facing just one over the minimum.

Meanwhile, the offense clicked from the start with Eagan at the top of the lineup. The sophomore singled to right to lead off the game and eventually came around to score on a Langley RBI single. Two more runs crossed the plate, capped with a Casey Schreiner run-scoring hit to center.

Leading 3-0 heading into the bottom of the fourth, the Spartans generated a rally. Swain highlighted a three-run inning with a two-run double to left center field to tie the game at 3-3.

In the fifth, they took the lead on Landers' RBI double to right center.

The Sabres would answer back with a run in the seventh to tie the game at 4-4 when Martin singled home Ryan Seifert on a single to right.

Winfield, going deep into yet another start, was one out away from getting out of the seventh unscathed, but McMahon grooved a pitch for a run-scoring single to regain the lead for the Spartans, 5-4.

Winfield would exit after finishing the inning, allowing five runs on 10 hits while striking out 11 and walking just two. It was his second consecutive start with 10 or more punch outs.

Marian put together a two-out rally in the eighth when Cole Miklavcic singled to right left, followed by a another single by Eagan. Seifert reached on an error and that allowed Miklavcic to score from second base to tie the game at 5-5.

In the Spartan ninth, Earl Vorpagel, who was in his second inning of relief, retired the first two batters via a groundout to short and a strikeout. But then, Oymaian then singled on a comebacker to the mound. After stealing second base, it would set the stage for McMahon to be the hero and he would come through.

He laced a single to left center field and Oymaian scored the game-winner.

Despite the loss, the Sabres still control their own destiny for a trip to the NAC Tournament. They currently sit in fifth place, one game ahead of Concordia University Wisconsin (12-23, 10-10 NAC) and two games in front of Wisconsin Lutheran College (15-14, 9-11 NAC) and Edgewood College (11-23, 9-11 NAC) with just two games left to play.

The Sabres will wrap up the conference schedule on Saturday with a road doubleheader at CUW. One win would clinch a NAC tournament berth, while two losses could mean elimination.

But in the meantime, the Sabres will take on UW-Oshkosh in a non-conference game Monday night, April 29. First pitch is slated for 7:30 p.m.