POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. (Interstat) — The Marist Red Foxes erupted for five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, breaking open a tight game to defeat the Saint Peter’s Peacocks 11-5 on Sunday afternoon at McCann Baseball Field.

The victory gave Marist a sweep of the two-game weekend series after a 4-3 win on Saturday and improved its record to 4-12. Saint Peter’s dropped its fourth consecutive game, falling to 2-12.

For seven innings, the contest was a back-and-forth affair. Marist struck first with three runs in the opening frame off Saint Peter’s starter Marcus Monroe. Connor Lawrence and Nathan Lincoln each delivered run-scoring hits, and Kyle Pollack added a sacrifice fly.

The Peacocks chipped away, getting a run in the second on an RBI groundout from Luke Schwartz and another in the third when Ian Huang’s fielder’s choice plated Chase Fogg. The game was tied 5-5 by the middle of the sixth inning after Saint Peter’s capitalized on a Marist error to score, and the Red Foxes answered with a sacrifice fly from Noel Rivera in their half of the inning.

The pivotal sequence came in the top of the eighth. Saint Peter’s, trailing 6-5, loaded the bases with no outs against reliever Ryan VanDeWater. After a strikeout, Louis D’Alessio hit a potential inning-ending ground ball, but Marist shortstop Noel Rivera committed an error, allowing two unearned runs to score and giving the Peacocks a fleeting 7-6 lead.

Marist responded immediately and decisively in the bottom half. Facing the Saint Peter’s bullpen, the Red Foxes sent 10 men to the plate. Chris Diaz and TJ Baer led off with singles, and Rivera atoned for his error with an RBI single to tie the game. The floodgates opened when Connor Lawrence’s line drive was misplayed by the left fielder, resulting in a two-run error. Lincoln followed with another RBI single, and Drew McGowan capped the outburst with a sacrifice fly. All five runs in the inning were charged to reliever Anthony Mancini, with only one earned.

The late offensive surge made a winner of Ryan VanDeWater, who worked 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief with two strikeouts. Caleb Kempler earned the save by recording the final four outs, stranding the bases loaded in the eighth and pitching a perfect ninth.

Steven Mazza started for Marist, allowing three earned runs over 5 2/3 innings. Saint Peter’s starter Marcus Monroe took the loss, surrendering four earned runs on five hits and four walks in five innings of work.

Nathan Lincoln led the Marist 14-hit attack, going 3 for 4 with a triple, two RBIs and two runs scored. Connor Lawrence drove in three runs, and Noel Rivera had two RBIs. For Saint Peter’s, Luke Schwartz was 2 for 4 with two RBIs.

The most important part of the game was Marist’s immediate and overwhelming response in the bottom of the eighth inning. After surrendering the lead on a costly error, the Red Foxes batted around, collecting four hits and taking advantage of a defensive mistake by the Peacocks to plate five runs and turn a one-run deficit into a commanding five-run lead, effectively sealing the victory.

Saint Peter’s next plays at Fairleigh Dickinson on Wednesday. Marist travels to face Fairleigh Dickinson on Tuesday.