UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio — Marietta College split an Ohio Athletic Conference baseball doubleheader at John Carroll University Saturday (April 27) afternoon. The Etta Express won the first game, 7-5, while the Blue Streaks salvaged the split with a 3-2 win in the nightcap.
Marietta moves to 16-18 overall and 8-8 in the OAC. John Carroll is now 22-12 on the season and 9-5 in conference play.
The Pioneers broke a 3-3 tie in game one with two runs in the top of the eighth and then added two more in the ninth. The Blue Streaks ninth-inning rally fell short as JCU managed to score twice before Sam Mathews secured the Pioneer victory.
Mathews (3-2) pitched 4.1 innings of relief for the win. He gave up two runs on seven hits with one walk and four strikeouts. Gino Sabatine started and went 4.2 innings before exiting. Sabatine allowed three runs, one earned, on seven hits.
Mitchell Midea started on the mound for John Carroll and threw 5.1 innings. He allowed two unearned runs on five hits. Midea walked three and struck out three. Henry Haracz (0-2) was tagged with the loss after giving up three runs on three hits in 1.2 innings of work.
Eddie Poster led the Pioneers attack going 4-for-5 with an RBI and three runs scored. Damian Yenzi had two hits, including a double, with a run scored and another driven in. Mike Hale also had two hits and one run scored, while Drew Holderbach had a double and an RBI.
The Pioneers scored single runs in the second, fourth and seventh innings, while John Carroll plated two in third inning and another in the fifth.
Drew Wilkinson plated Brady Cottom with a sac fly in the second. Poster reached on a single in the fourth, stole second and then came around to score on a pair of JCU errors. Alex Page picked up an RBI on a ground out in the seventh inning that plated Yenzi, who reached on a double.
Yenzi picked up an RBI when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the eighth. Later in the frame, a Holderbach sac fly scored Drew Wilkinson.
Hale led off the ninth with a single to left and was sacrificed into scoring position by Isaac Danford.Cottom followed with a single moving Hale to third. Poster reached on a fielder's choice that scored Hale. Cottom was put out on the play. Poster stole second, went to third on another fielder's choice and then stole home on a first and third double steal.
In the second game, Marietta scored runs in the second and fourth innings for a 2-0 lead. The Blue Streaks scored single runs in the fifth, seventh and eighth innings for the 3-2 win.
Justin Aviles started on the mound for MC and threw 5.0 innings. He was charged with one run on just three hits. He struck out six. Danford (0-2) was tagged with the loss after allowing two runs on two hits in 3.0 innings of work. He walked four and struck out six.
Andrew Steele started for the JCU and tossed 5.1 innings. He allowed two runs on 10 hits with a walk and five strikeouts. Nicholas Michel (1-0) got the win after throwing the final 1.2 innings retiring all four Pioneer hitters he faced.
Yenzi, Page, Danford and Seamus Kenneally each had two hits in the game for the Pioneers.
The Pioneers are back in action on Sunday (April 28) for a non-conference doubleheader at La Roche College. First pitch is set for 12 p.m.