PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — The #8 Marietta College baseball team's offense delivered its biggest showing of the 2011 season Sunday (March 6) as the Etta Express rolled past Medaille College 17-0 on day two of the Snowbird Classic. [Box Score]
The Pioneers (5-1) pounded out 17 hits and batted around in two different innings while receiving another dominant pitching performance in the win. The Mavericks (2-1) finished with just five hits in the loss.
Senior Casey Levens (Dayton/Centerville) made his season debut on the mound and earned the victory after scattering four hits and a walk while striking out eight in seven strong innings.
Four straight hits from the sophomore class in the bottom of the order produced a pair of Pioneer runs in the second inning. Right fielder Ethan Ward (Urbana/Graham) and third baseman Evan Brockmeier (Marietta/Marietta) opened the frame with singles. First baseman Aaron Hopper (Wheelersburg/Wheelersburg) followed with a RBI single to plate Ward, before catcher Tom Fulton (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn Hills) added a double to drive in Brockmeier.
The Etta Express sent 14 batters to the plate and collected eight hits to break the game open with a 10-run fifth. Sophomore third baseman Braden Park (Oxford/Talawanda) had two hits and two RBI, Hopper produced a three-run triple, and sophomore first baseman Tyler Haskin (Monroe/Monroe) had a two-run double in the inning.
Marietta batted around again and added to its lead with five more runs in the seventh. Brockmeier, sophomore right fielder Jordan Grilliot (Brookville/Northmont) and sophomore third baseman Bryan Gregorich (Chardon/Chardon) all drove in a run, while freshman left fielder Matt Moormeier (Chesterland/Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin) delivered a two-run double in his first collegiate at-bat.
Park led all players with three hits, two runs scored and two RBI in four at-bats. Hopper went 2-for-3 with four RBI. Haskin came off the bench to finish 2-for-3, while Brockmeier added two hits and three runs scored in five at-bats.
Sophomore Michael Mulvey (Glenshaw, Pa./North Catholic) and junior closer Kyle Lindquist (Columbus/Worthington Kilbourne) both pitched scoreless inning to preserve the shutout.
Zach Machmer was charged with the loss after he allowed seven runs on nine hits in four and one-third innings.
Marietta is back in action at 1 p.m. Monday (March 7) when it battles regional rival Ohio Wesleyan University in a single, nine-inning game at the Snowbird Classic. WMOA-AM 1490 will carry the game live locally and online at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/wmoa-live.