ALLIANCE, Ohio — No. 3 Marietta College baseball survived a game-one scare to sweep its third Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader in four days with 10-9 and 17-2 wins over host the University of Mount Union Sunday (April 10) at 23rd Street Field. [Game 1 Box Score] [Game 2 Box Score]

Marietta (21-2, 6-0 OAC) withstood a series of Mount Union (9-12, 3-3 OAC) rallies and two extra frames to take game one 10-9.

The Pioneers collected 12 hits and were led by a 3-for-5 with two RBI performance from sophomore Braden Park (Oxford/Talawanda). Junior Tim Saunders (Alliance/Alliance), sophomore Evan Brockmeier (Marietta/Marietta) and senior Britt Meador (Columbus/Worthington Kilbourne) all added a pair of hits in the win.

Marietta gained the advantage in the top of the third when junior Kirby Becker drove in Park with the first run of the game. Park then singled home Meador to extend the Pioneers lead to 2-0 in the fourth.

Mount Union answered with a run in the bottom of the fourth and threatened for more, but Marietta threw a runner out at the plate to preserved the 2-1 lead.

Saunders greeted his hometown fans with a solo home run on the first pitch of the sixth inning. Meador followed with a one-out single and Brockmeier a RBI triple. Park's third hit of the day drove in Brockmeier and gave the Etta Express a 5-1 advantage.

Junior Mike Mahaffey (Worthington/Bishop Watterson) made his first start of the year and worked five solid innings. He scattered one run on four hits and one walk while striking out eight.

Mount Union, however, struck for three runs against junior closer Kyle Lindquist in the bottom of the sixth to pull back within a run, 5-4.

The Etta Express responded when sophomore Aaron Hopper (Wheelersburg/Wheelersburg) laced a two-run double off the left center fence in the top of the seventh. The Purple Raiders, however, rallied again with three runs in the bottom of the frame to send the game into extra innings.

Becker made the play of the game when he threw out a Mount Union runner at the plate following an infield single in the bottom of the eighth to keep the game tied at 7-7.

Marietta regained the lead 10-7 when Meador hit a sacrifice fly and Brockmeier added a two-run single in the top of the ninth. Greg Ferrell drilled his second home run of the game, a two-run shot, in the bottom of the ninth, but junior Austin Blaski (Pandora/Gilboa) retired the next three hitters to secure the 10-9 victory.

Blaski worked the final two and two-thirds innings, giving up two runs on five hits, to earn the win and improve to 5-1.

Sophomore Logan Lewis (Nashport/Tri-Valley) took the mound and limited Mount Union to just three hits over six innings to win game two and improve to 2-0 on the spring.

The first 11 Pioneers reached base and as they plated seven runs in the first inning. Senior John Snyder (Altoona, Pa./Altoona) hit a RBI double, while Saunders, Brockmeier, senior Casey Levens (Dayton/Centerville) and sophomore Alex Toth (Painesville/Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin) all had RBI singles. Park and sophomore Jordan Grilliot (Brookville/Northmont) both drove in another run with a fielder's choice.

Levens picked up another RBI with a single in the second, while Becker did the same in the third to stretch the lead to 9-0. Snyder then had a RBI double and Saunders a RBI single in the fifth.

Mount Union scored its first round on a ground out in the bottom of the fifth, but Becker extended Marietta's advantage to 13-1 with a double in the sixth. The Pioneers capped their scoring with a four-run seventh. Levens contributed a RBI double and Park a RBI single in the frame.

The Purple Raiders added a run in the bottom of the seventh on a solo home run from Craig Knott, but the Pioneers prevailed 17-2.

Levens led Marietta's 20-hit attack with a 4-for-5 with three RBI nightcap. Becker also contributed three hits in six at-bats, while Grilliot, Snyder, Saunders and Brockmeier added two hits in the win.

Marietta's busy week continues at 4 p.m. Monday (April 11) when La Roche College visits Don Schaly Stadium for a non-conference doubleheader. The twin bill will be the fourth in the last five days for the Etta Express.