PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Marietta College split a nonconference doubleheader at No. 17 La Roche College Monday (April 24) afternoon. The Pioneers won game one, 8-6 in 10 innings, and the Redhawks took the second game, 12-8. Marietta moves to 17-13 on the season. La Roche is 27-7 overall.

Senior Joe Gardner hit a towering two-run home run in the top of the tenth inning to give the Etta Express the win in game one. It was Gardner's first career homer and snapped La Roche's 16-game winning streak.

David Stover (6-0) picked up the win throwing 4.0 innings of relief. He allowed one run on three hits with one walk and three strikeouts. Austin Eaton started and pitched 4.0 innings. Eaton gave up five runs on seven hits before turning the ball over to Kordell Antill. Antill worked shutout 2.0 innings.

The Pioneers scored four runs in the first inning and added two more in the second chasing Redhawk starter Garren Telesz. Cam Smith took over and blanked the Express over the next 7-plus innings.

Shane Fetsko, and Connor Golden had RBI singles in the first inning and Michael Barnabei knocked in another run with a fielder's choice. Mike Hale delivered a two-out, two-run double in the second inning.

As Smith was keeping the Pioneers off the scoreboard, La Roche slowly creeped back into the game. The Redhawks scored one in the second and one in third and then pulled within a run, 6-5, with three more in the fourth inning.

Shane Roebuck led off the fourth with a solo home run and later in the frame Luis Navedo smacked a two-run shot.

La Roche managed to tie the game with a run in the seventh. Joe Professori doubled and then came around to score on a single off the bat Ian Velez.

In the tenth, Golen led off with a single and Barnabei sacrificed him to second base. Gardner followed with the bomb over the left field wall making it 8-6 in favor of the Pioneers.

Chris Hanlon (2-2) took the loss for La Roche. Telesz gave up six runs on six hits in 1.2 innings. Smith worked 7.1 innings and allowed just two Pioneer hits. Hanlon gave up two runs on three hits in 1.0 inning of work.

Golden finished 3-for-5, while White and Hale had two hits apiece for Marietta.

Marietta started off game two just like game one scoring four runs in the first inning. Hale lined a two-run double into the left field corner and Golden plated a run with a sac fly.

The Pioneer lead was short-lived as La Roche struck for seven in the bottom of the first inning. Navedo had a two-run single, David Lemley connected on a two-run home run and Mitchell Yard hit a three-run homer in the frame.

Jacob Baker took over on the mound for starter James Angel with one out in the first inning and shut the Redhawks down for six-plus innings.

The Pioneers plated one run in the fifth and another in the sixth making it a one-run game, 7-6. Then in the eighth inning, White lined a two-out shot back up the middle driving in Tyler Ruhl and Barnabei and giving MC the lead, 8-7.

La Roche refused to go quietly and tallied five in the bottom of the eighth to salvage the split. Roebuck delivered the big blow knocking a two-run homer to give the Redhawks the lead.

Angel threw one-third of an inning and was charged with seven runs on six hits. Baker (0-1) took the loss giving up three runs on three hits in 7.0 innings of relief. Mitch McNabb allowed two runs on two hits in two-thirds of an inning.

Trey Claar (1-1) got the win for La Roche. He tossed 1.0 inning of shutout relief allowing one hit. Nick Tunstall started and went 6.0 innings giving up six runs on six hits. Cole Cogley threw 1.0 innings as did Shane Emerich.

White led the Pioneers with three hits and two runs batted in.

Marietta returns home to host Oberlin College on Wednesday (April 26) for a 4:00 p.m. doubleheader.