MARION, Ind. -- Indiana Wesleyan University baseball split a Saturday doubleheader with Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) University to win 3-of-4 games in the season series.

Mount Vernon Nazarene (12-7, 4-4 CL) is the only Crossroads League team to earn points in the latest NAIA Top-25 Coaches’ Poll. But Indiana Wesleyan claimed the season series with a sweep at MVNU on Thursday and a home split on Saturday.

Pitching continues to be a strength for the Wildcats as they allowed a total of three runs on Saturday. Mount Vernon Nazarene won the opener 2-1 while Indiana Wesleyan took a 5-1 victory in the finale.

All the scoring in the first game took place in the first inning and a half. IWU scored in their first at bat on an error by the MVNU shortstop. Jacob Murphy was at second when Brice Davis hit a ground ball to short and the boot allowed Murphy to score and give Indiana Wesleyan a quick 1-0 advantage.

In the top half of the second the Cougars responded with two runs off Wildcat starting pitcher Michael Caley. But those two runs would be all Caley would surrender in the complete game outing as he finished with five straight hitless innings.

Caley allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits with one walk and four strikeouts. Caley retired 13 straight in the game and an error to leadoff the seventh inning was the only MVNU base runner after the second frame.

Unfortunately for Indiana Wesleyan, IWU managed just one hit in the final six innings after a three hit first inning.

In the second game, Indiana Wesleyan scored single runs in each of the first three innings to build a 3-1 lead after three. Quinn Nofziger scored in the first on an error by the third baseman, Murphy drilled an RBI single in the second, and Preston Fugita hit a deep sac fly to score Davis in the third for the early advantage.

The early lead would be all the support that starting pitcher Bryan Beachy would need. Beachy pitched a 3-hit, complete game victory for the Wildcats. He walked two and struck out four to even his record at 2-2 on the season.

Indiana Wesleyan added a pair of insurance runs in the fifth inning. Nofziger launched a triple to right center field to score Murphy and Nofziger then scored on a sac fly by Davis.

Nofziger was 2-of-3 in the game with a double and a triple plus one RBI. Murphy hit 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI while Davis, Peter Engle, and Josh Ellis all added base hits.

Indiana Wesleyan remains at home for their next scheduled date at 4 p.m. on Tuesday. IWU will host Huntington (Ind.) University at Wildcat Field.