MARIETTA, Ohio — Marietta College, ranked No. 7 in the national poll, completed a dominating regular season with a four-game sweep of second place Mount Union. The Pioneers completed the series with a pair of wins Sunday (May 16) afternoon at Pioneer Park.
The Etta Express scored three runs in the bottom of the eleventh inning to win game one, 6-5. Marietta finished off the Purple Raiders with a convincing 11-1 mercy rule victory in seven innings in game two.
Marietta will be the number one seed in next week's Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament with an overall record of 32-4, 30-3 in OAC games. Mount Union finished 27-11 on the season and 25-11 in the OAC earning the No. 2 seed.
The Pioneers were the class of the OAC winning each of the 10 weekend series during the regular season, including all nine OAC series.
Mount Union broke a 3-3 tie with a pair of runs in the top of the eleventh inning in the first game. In the home half of the frame, the Pioneers loaded the bases with no outs. Zach Boyd led off with a double, Turner Hill reached on an infield single and then Damian Yenzi dropped down a sac bunt but was safe at first on a throwing error.
Drew Holderbach lined a double to right field scoring Boyd and Hill to tie the game, 5-5. The RBI were Holderbach's fourth and fifth of the game. After an intentional walk loaded the bases, the Purple Raiders got a pop up and a strikeout and were one out from extending the game to the twelfth inning. Trent Castle hit a sharp ground ball through the right side of the infield scoring the winning run.
Holderbach, who hit a two-run home run in the fifth, finished 3-for-6 with a double, a home run and five RBI. Castle was also 3-for-6, while Hill and Trent Valentine each had two hits in the game.
Griffin Malick (3-0) picked up the win in relief. Malick pitched the final inning and gave up two runs on two hits. Nicklaus Brown started and worked 5.1 innings. He allowed two runs on seven hits. Dylan Albright allowed one run in 1.2 innings and Sam Mathews tossed 3.0 innings of hitless, shutout relief.
Collin Skufca (3-1) was tagged with the loss. He threw 0.2 innings and allowed on unearned run on two hits. Dwayne Sumler started and allowed two runs on six hits in 5.0 innings. Ryan Osman pitched 5.0 innings and gave up two runs on six hits, while Cole Robinson allowed one run on one hit without recording an out.
Zack Mazza led off the second game with a solo home run over the wall in left center to give Mount Union the early 1-0 lead. Marietta responded with three runs in the first and three more in the second to take control of the game.
Holderbach drove in a run in the first with a single to right and then plated two more runs in the second with a triple in the right center gap.
After adding a run in the third and fourth innings for an 8-1 lead, the Pioneers finished the sweep with three runs in the seventh to invoke the 10-run rule. Boyd was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and then Jared Weiss smacked a two-run, walk-off single ending the game.
Holderbach had two hits, including a triple, three RBI and scored three runs. Yenzi finished with two hits and three runs scored, while Boyd and Weiss each drove in two runs.
Senior Isaac Danford (2-0) tossed 4.0 shutout innings for the win. He scattered four hits and struck out three. Valentine started on the mound and worked 3.0 innings giving up one run on three hits. He walked one and struck out two.
Chuck Hawley (0-2) started and took the loss for Mount Union. Hawley gave up six runs on five hits in two innings pitched. Cole Robinson worked two innings and allowed a pair of unearned runs, while Dylan Neider gave up three runs on one hit in 2.2 innings.