PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – The No. 3 ranked Marietta College baseball team split a pair of games Sunday (March 10) in the Snowbird Baseball Classic. Montclair State University (N.J.) blanked the Pioneers 2-0 in game one, while Marietta (3-1 overall) posted a 15-10 win over the College of Wooster in the second game.
Montclair State (2-1 overall) got a complete-game gem from junior lefty Dylan Papa. Papa scattered seven hits and struck out eight Pioneers without issuing a walk to up his season record to 2-0.
A two-run home run from senior first baseman Stephen Nappe in the fourth inning was all the offense Montclair State would need.
Marietta outhit the Red Hawks 7-2, but Montclair turned three double plays to keep the Pioneers off the scoreboard.
Pioneer freshman Jason Byers (0-1) made an impressive debut in the pinstripes. Byers went 8.0 innings and gave up two runs on just two hits. He walked one and struck out seven.
Sophomore Mike Fulton threw the ninth walking one Red Hawk hitter.
Senior right fielder Jordan Grilliot went 2-for-4 with a double for the Pioneers.
The Etta Express got rolling early in the win over Wooster. The Pioneers put four runs on the board in the first inning. Senior center fielder Aaron Hopper and senior catcher Alex Toth each had RBI singles in the inning.
Marietta added two runs in third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings to take a commanding 12-2 lead. Toth drove in another run in the third and two more in the sixth.
Senior Mike Mulvey (1-0) started on the mound and looked to be cruising to an easy victory. The Fighting Scots managed to plate two runs in the fourth and then erupted for six runs in the seventh.
Mulvey went 6.1 innings and allowed five runs, four earned, on eight hits. He walked two and struck out four. Sophomore Anthony Knittel relieved Mulvey and was tagged with three unearned runs in one-third of an inning of work. Knittel walked three and struck out one.
Wooster took advantage of four walks and three Marietta errors in the seventh inning to cut the deficit to 12-8. Two more runs in the top of the eighth got Wooster within two, 12-10.
The Pioneers answered in the bottom half of the inning with three runs of their own. Toth notched his fifth RBI of the game on a single to left. Senior third baseman Bryan Gregorich followed with a two-run line drive base hit to center putting the Pioneers ahead 15-10.
Senior Evan Brockmeier picked up the save working the final 2.1 innings. He allowed two runs on three hits with a pair of walks.
Junior Steve Hagen (0-1) started and took the loss for Wooster. Hagen pitched 4.0 innings and gave up eight runs, seven earned on seven hits. He walked two and had four strikeouts.
Five other pitchers took the mound for the Fighting Scots in the game.
Toth finished the game 4-for-4 with a double and five RBI. Hopper went 3-for-4 with a double, four runs scored and two RBI, while Gregorich was 2-for-3 with four RBI. Grilliot and designated hitter Josh Ungerbuehler also had two hits apiece.
Junior right fielder Zac Mathie was 2-for-4 with four runs driven in for Wooster. Junior center fielder Jarrod Mancine had three hits in six at bats, while sophomore shortstop John McLain and junior third baseman Craig Day each had two hits.
The Pioneers are back in action on Monady (March 11) at 11:00 a.m. against Denison University. The Big Red are coached by former Marietta assistant Mike Deegan. Fans can follow the Pioneers all season long at pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on Twitter.