ALLIANCE, Ohio — No. 7 ranked Marietta College swept an Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader from the University of Mount Union Saturday (May 15) afternoon. With the two wins, the Etta Express secured the OAC Regular Season Championship and top seed in next week's OAC Tournament.
The Pioneers defeated Mount Union 10-0 in eight innings in game one. In the second game, Marietta downed the Purple Raiders 6-3 in ten innings. Marietta improves to 30-4 overall and 28-3 in the OAC. Mount Union falls to 27-9 on the season and 25-9 in conference games.
The two teams will wrap up the regular season with a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Sunday (May 16) at Pioneer Park.
Marietta starting pitcher Gino Sabatine (8-0) allowed just two Mount Union base runners into scoring position as he scattered five hits over 7.0 innings of work to get the win. He walked one and struck out six Purple Raiders. Sam Mathews struck out the side in the eighth inning to preserve the shutout.
The Etta Express got on the board with three runs in the top of the third inning without getting a ball out of the infield. Jared Weiss reached on a two-out infield single to second base. Turner Hill walked and Damian Yenzi loaded the bases with an infield single to third base.
Drew Holderbach drove in Weiss with another infield single to third. Nate Rentas grounded to the shortstop by the throw to first was wild allowing Hill and Yenzi to score unearned runs.
Marietta extended the lead with two runs in the fifth. Hill singled and Yenzi was hit by a pitch. Holderbach doubled to left scoring Hill and moving Yenzi to third. Dylan Albright followed with a sac fly allowing Yenzi to score making it 5-0.
The Pioneers added one in the sixth and two more in the seventh. Marietta pushed the lead to 10-0 in the top of the eighth. Yenzi smacked an RBI double left and Holderbach drove in the final run of the game with a sac fly.
Thomas Gallant (6-2) started on the mound for Mount Union and took the loss. He allowed six runs, four earned, on nine base hits. Gallant walked two and struck out four in 5.2 innings. Brian Livolsi pitched the last 2.1 innings and gave up four runs, three earned, on three hits.
Holderbach led the Pioneers with three hits, including a double, and three runs batted in. Hill, Yenzi and Weiss all had two hits in the game.
In game two, Marietta scored all their runs in two innings. The Pioneers plated three runs in the fifth inning to erase a 1-0 deficit and then scored three in the top of the tenth inning for the 6-3 victory.
Trent Castle drove in the Pioneers' first run with a single to center field. Weiss picked up an RBI with a sac bunt and Hill knocked in the third run with a single to right field.
Mount Union scored a run in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings. Zack Mazza reached on a one-out single and then moved to second on a sac bunt. Eric Schilling delivered the two-out RBI single to left-center tying the game, 3-3.
The Pioneers retook the lead in the tenth when Holderbach lined a single to center scoring Drew Wilkinson, who reached on a single and moved to second on a ground out. Rentas then smashed a two-run shot to straight away center field for a 6-3 Pioneer lead.
Mathews (7-2) got the win in relief. Dalton Wiggins started and worked 5.0 innings giving up two runs on nine hits with one walk and six strikeouts. Kail Hill threw one inning of shutout relief before Mathews took over. Mathews gave up one run on four hits in 4.0 innings of relief.
Carson Davis started and threw 8.0 innings giving up three runs on seven hits. He walked two and struck out four. Billy Keller (1-1) took the loss. Keller allowed three runs on five hits in 2.0 innings.
Trent Valentine went 3-for-4 with two doubles. Holderbach and Wilkinson each had two hits, while Rentas delivered the two-run home run.