PUNTA GORDA, Fla. – The No. 10 ranked Marietta College baseball team defeated SUNY New Paltz by the score of 4-0 Saturday (March 15) to wrap up play in the Snowbird Classic. The Etta Express heads north with an 8-3 overall record.
Marietta jumped on top with a run in the bottom of the first inning. Mitch Geers was hit by a pitch for the tenth time this season and later scored on an RBI single off the bat of Josh Ungerbuehler.
Back to back two-out base hit bunts from Ryan Hanahan and Zach Bukiewicz led to a pair of Pioneers runs in the seventh. Christian Demko lined a single to center scoring Hanahan and moving Bukiewicz to third. Marietta then pulled off the double steal scoring Bukiewicz for a 3-0 lead.
Kevin Johnston made it 4-0 in the eighth inning with a sacrifice fly that scored Geers.
Freshman Tyler Nieberding (2-0) threw 5.0 shutout innings to get his second win of the trip. He allowed two hits. Fellow freshman Jim Luyster tossed 3.0 innings and junior Mike Fulton closed the game in the ninth.
Hanahan led the offense going 3-for-3 with a double and a run scored. Geers scored twice in the game.
Brian Soloman (0-2) threw well for New Paltz but was tagged with the loss. He worked 7.0 innings and allowed three runs on seven base hits with one walk and seven strikeouts.
Marietta is back in action on Wednesday (March 19) when LaRoche College visits Don Schaly Stadium for a 2:00 p.m. doubleheader.