Live to play another day is now the theme for Marian’s baseball team, the newly crowned District 11 Class 2A champion.

There was no survival of the fittest Monday afternoon, to borrow the cliché. The Colts were simply dominant and in control, except for maybe the top of the first inning against Wyoming Seminary.

The final score reflected that dominance — an 11-1 victory in five innings fueled by pitching, defense and timely hitting.

Roman Bednarek, Marian’s standout sophomore pitcher, allowed just two hits and one manufactured first-inning run. He dazzled Wyoming Seminary hitters with his breaking pitch, striking out five while surrendering only two singles.

At the plate, Bednarek wasn’t a slouch either. He blasted a two-run home run in the fourth inning, while his teammates contributed six more hits.

Sophomore Chase Quinn-Gutsie was also in the middle of the offense. He collected two singles, including a perfectly placed drag bunt to load the bases in the fifth inning and trigger the 10-run rule. Quinn-Gutsie scored all four times he reached base.

Noah Bauder added two singles and two RBIs. Pinch hitter Jimmy Cannon came off the bench and lined a two-run single to the opposite field, while Rocco Griguoli drove in a run.

“We are really starting to (peak) at the right time,” Marian manager John “Pilsey” Pietrilak said. “We’re playing great defense; we’re hitting the ball at the right time and the way our pitching has come around is the reason why we are a relaxed baseball team.”

Even when Marian fell behind 1-0, there was little concern. Wyoming Seminary manufactured its only run with the speed of standout shortstop Leo Nockley, a Tennessee commit. The left-handed-hitting senior walked, stole second, advanced on a wild pitch and scored when Nick Ravaioli nearly drove a ball to the center-field fence. Quinn-Gutsie tracked it down for an out, but Nockley tagged and scored the only run Bednarek allowed.

“I really wasn’t concerned, things happen, I just had to make better pitches,” Bednarek said.

Quinn-Gutsie said he never doubted he would make the catch.

“I like to play a little deeper, so I (saw) it immediately. It was an easy catch.”

He certainly made it look routine, even though the ball carried to the deepest part of the park.

Quinn-Gutsie also sparked the offense. He drew a walk, stole second and eventually scored the tying run on Bauder’s RBI single. Wyoming Seminary starter Ryan Finlay then issued four consecutive walks as Marian grabbed a 3-1 lead.

“Once we got those runs, it made me relax even more,” Bednarek said.

The Colts added another run in the second. Quinn-Gutsie walked again, went to second on a pickoff throw that went awry and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Bednarek then drove him home with a ground out, the first of his three RBIs, to make it 4-1.

Wyoming Seminary’s only other threat came in the fourth inning. Bednarek had cruised through the lineup and allowed his first hit when Ravaioli beat out an infield single. Marian’s defense quickly erased the threat. Catcher Labenburg threw a strike to Brayden Grant at second base to catch Ravaioli attempting to steal.

The Colts broke the game open with four runs in the fourth. Quinn-Gutsie singled to left, and Bednarek followed with a two-run homer over the left-field fence to extend the lead to 6-1.

The rally continued. Griguoli was hit by a pitch, Bauder greeted Wyoming Seminary reliever John Comitz with an RBI double, and Cannon added a two-run single to right field for an 8-1 advantage.

Wyoming Seminary mounted one last challenge in the fifth, putting two runners on with two outs when Finlay singled and Caleb Aponick walked. Bednarek responded by getting CJ Stevenson to pop out softly to Grant.

“I started to feel a little tired, but I knew I was basically okay,” Bednarek said.

To which his manager countered:

“Sometimes Roman wants to rely too much on his breaking and (off) speed stuff, when all he needs to do is pitch to contact.”

In other words, let the fastball do the work.

Marian ended the game with a three-run fifth inning. Mitchell Knock reached on an error, Cole Defrancesco walked and Quinn-Gutsie beat out a bunt single to load the bases. Bednarek walked, Griguoli was hit by a pitch for the second time, and Bauder’s sacrifice fly to right brought home Quinn-Gutsie for the game-ending run.

“With Roman on the mound, we knew he’d be a tough pitcher for anyone,” Bauder said after his two-hit, two-RBI performance. “Our defense can lock down. Chase (Quinn-Gutsie) made a great play in center. Defrancesco comes up with that running (liner) for an out. We play defense very well, as you can see.”

Defense, pitching and timely hitting will need to remain at the forefront Thursday when Marian faces one of the premier Class 2A teams in the state tournament, Southern Columbia.

“We’re going up against a quality team,” Pietrilak said. “But we have a lot of confidence right now and ... Chase Grier has been pitching lights out, and we feel very good about him on the mound.”

WHIZ KID ... Bednarek has been Marian’s ace all season. He improved to 6-0 with a 1.80 ERA. He consistently keeps his pitch count low. On Monday, he threw 74 pitches in five innings, including 44 strikes. His only rough stretch came in the fifth, when he threw 22 pitches and worked two full counts.

WEB GEMS ... Two outstanding defensive plays in the outfield drew plenty of oohs and aahs. Quinn-Gutsie’s catch in the first inning prevented extra bases, while Defrancesco raced in from left field in the second inning to rob Alec Weinberger of a hit.

WALKS KILLER ... Wyoming Seminary’s Achilles’ heel was control. The Blue Knights issued nine walks and hit two batters.

HE’S A PLAYER ... You can often spot a Division I player just by his presence, and Nockley fits the mold. The Tennessee-bound shortstop showed off a strong glove and excellent speed and appears poised to make an impact for the Volunteers next spring.

Wyo. Seminary 100 00 - 1 2 2 Marian 310 43 - 11 7 0

Finlay, Ravaioli (1), Comitz (4) and Stevenson; Bednarek and Labenburg. W - Bednarek. L - Finlay.