MARIETTA, Ohio — No. 4 ranked Marietta College guaranteed itself a spot in next week's NCAA Tournament with a pair of dramatic wins Friday (May 21) afternoon at Pioneer Park. The Etta Express captured the Ohio Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament crown by sweeping the University of Mount Union in the best of three Championship Series.
The Pioneers won the first game of the day by the score of 8-7 in 13 exciting innings. Marietta secured the 32nd OAC Tournament title in program history with a 3-2 walk-off victory in the second game.
Marietta improves to 35-4 on the season and will enter the NCAA Tournament on a 10-game winning streak. The Pioneers will find out the rest of the NCAA Regional field late Sunday night. Marietta will host the Regional at Pioneer Park May 27-30.
Dylan Albright lined an 0-2 pitch into center field scoring Drew Holderbach with the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning to give Marietta the Championship. Damian Yenzi led off with a single but was forced out at second base on a ground ball from Holderbach.
Nick Bonnizio reached on an infield single moving Holderbach into scoring position. After Logan Vietmeier flew out for the second out of the inning, Albright delivered the game winning base hit.
Vietmeier gave Marietta the early lead with an RBI single in the bottom of the first inning. After Mount Union tied the game, 1-1, in the top of the sixth, tournament Most Valuable Player Trent Castle put the Pioneers back in front with an RBI single in the home half of the sixth.
Trey Weaver launched a solo home run over the right field wall in the top of the eighth to even the score, 2-2.
Trent Valentine started on the mound for Marietta and allowed one run on five hits in six innings of work. He walked three and struck out two. Kail Hill (2-0) threw the final three innings for the win. He allowed one run on two hits and struck out five.
Dwayne Sumler started and pitched 5.1 innings for the Purple Raiders. He gave up two runs on nine hitswith a pair of walks and two strikeouts. Billy Keller (1-2) was tagged with the loss after surrendering one run on three hits in 3.1 innings.
Yenzi finished the night cap with four hits including a pair of doubles. Vietmeier and Castle each had two hits in the game.
Marietta plated an unearned run in the bottom of the 13th inning to win game one. Brady Cottom reached on a one-out walk. Following a Castle fly out, Turner Hill doubled down the left field line moving Cottom to third.
Drew Wilkinson then lifted a fly ball to right field for what should have been the final out of the inning. The Mount Union outfielder dropped the ball allowing Cottom to scamper home with the winning run.
The Etta Express jumped on Mount Union for three runs in the first inning. Hill and Yenzi hit back-to-back ground rule doubles to start the rally. Holderbach knocked in Yenzi with a single. Holderbach would eventually score on an RBI ground out off the bat of Cottom.
Mount Union got one run back in the second inning, but Wilkinson made it 5-1 in favor of the Navy Blue and White with a two-run single in the third.
The Purple Raiders plated four runs in the top of the fourth inning chasing Pioneer starting pitcher Nicklaus Brown from the game and tying the score at 5-5.
Nate Duliba gave Mount Union its first lead of the day with a two-out, run-scoring single in the sixth inning. A wild pitch in the bottom of the seventh allowed Marietta to even the score, 6-6.
The Purple Raiders took a 7-6 lead in the top of the tenth inning when Zack Mazza lined a single up the middle with two outs. Mount Union retired the first two Pioneer hitters in the bottom of the inning and was one out away from victory.
Vietmeier pulled the Pioneers back from the brink of defeat when he smashed a solo home run over the wall in right-center field.
Neither team scored in the eleventh or twelfth innings. Isaac Danford, in his third inning of relief, retired Mount Union in order in the top of the thirteenth setting up the dramatic win in the bottom of the frame.
Danford (3-0) allowed just one hit in three innings to get the win. He walked two and struck out four. Brown worked 3.2 innings and allowed five runs on seven hits. Dalton Wiggins and Sam Mathews each gave up one run before Danford took over on the mound.
Carson Davis started on the mound for the Purple Raiders and was charged with six runs on 10 hits in 6.1 innings. He walked three and struck out three. Ryan Osman (3-3) took the loss after giving up two runs, one earned, on eight hits in 6.1 innings. He walked two and struck out five.
Holderbach, Castle and Wilkinson each had three hits in the game for the Pioneers. Hill, Yenzi, Vietmeier and Cottom had two hits apiece.
In addition to Castle's Dick Fishbaugh Most Valuable Player Award, Marietta was represented on the All-Tournament Team by Holderbach (1B), Yenzi (3B), Vietmeier (UTL) and Gino Sabatine (P).
The remainder of the All-Tournament Team included: Coleman Stauffer (C), Brian Livolsi (3B), Mazza (OF) and Thomas Gallant (P) from Mount Union; Baldwin Wallace's Alex Ludwick (SS); Heidelberg's Eric DeVore (DH) and Robert Hunt (OF); and John Carroll's Joe Olsavsky (2B) and Mitchell Midea (P).