MARIETTA, Ohio — Marietta College finished its Ohio Athletic Conference schedule with a pair of wins over Ohio Northern University Saturday (May 6) afternoon at Don Schaly Stadium. The Pioneers won the first game, 2-1, and completed the sweep with a 4-2 win in game two.

The Etta Express improves to 21-15 overall and finishes 14-4 in the OAC. Marietta will be the No. 2 seed in next week's OAC Tournament being hosted by regular season champions and top seed Mount Union. Ohio Northern ends the season 21-19 overall and 7-11 in the OAC.

Both games followed the same script with the Pioneers taking an early lead, the Polar Bears battling back to tie the game only to have Marietta retake the lead late in the game to secure the victory. Junior David Stover notched a save in each game giving him six on the season.

Senior Eric White put the Pioneers on top in the third inning of game one with a two-out RBI single. Greg Peffley reached on a double and then scored on White's base hit.

ONU finally got to Pioneers starting pitcher Ian Luttrell in the sixth inning. After retiring the first two batters of the inning, Luttrell surrendered three straight singles allowing the Polar Bears to even the score, 1-1.

White accounted for Marietta's winning run in the eighth innings as well. He led off the inning and ended up on second base when the ONU second baseman threw the ball away at first base. Mike Hale sacrificed White to third with a bunt and then Connor Golden drove him in with a sac fly to right field for a 2-1 lead.

The Pioneers kept Ohio Northern off the scoreboard with inning ending double plays in the eighth and ninth innings.

Luttrell worked 6.0 innings and allowed one run on seven hits with four strikeouts. Kordell Antill (4-1) picked up the win with 2.0 innings of one-hit relief. Stover threw the ninth inning for the save.

Jack Schaller (4-4) went the distance on the mound for Ohio Northern. He was charged with two runs, one earned, on just five base hits. Schaller walked two and struck out three.

Peffley, White Hale, Shane Fetsko and Michael Barnabei each had one hit in the game for Marietta.

In the second game, the Pioneers plated two runs in the second inning. Fetsko and Barnabei singled to start the inning. Golden dropped down a sac bunt putting both runners in scoring position.

Joe Gardner drove in Fetsko and moved Barnabei to third base with a single to right field. Seamus Kenneally followed with a sac fly scoring Barnabei.

Tommy Crowl cruised through the first four innings before rain forced a 64-minute delay. When play restarted, Ohio Northern strung together four singles in the top of the fifth inning tying the game, 2-2.

Marietta took the lead right back in the home half of the fifth when Peffley reached on a two-out infield single and White followed with a double into the left center gap scoring Peffley.

Zack Ward made it 4-2 with a sac fly in the eighth inning that scored White. White reached on a single, advanced to second on a wild pitch and moved to third on a sac bunt from Tyler Ruhl.

Crowl (1-0) picked up the win. He threw 5.0 innings and allowed two runs on seven hits with a walk and a strikeout. Mitch McNabb tossed 3.0 shutout innings of relief before turning the ball over to Stover in the ninth. Stover retired ONU in order for his second save of the day.

Barnabei finished 3-for-4 to lead the Pioneer offense. Peffley, White and Fetsko had two hits apiece.

Marietta concludes the regular season on Sunday (May 7) with a single nonconference game against Penn State Behrend at Schaly Stadium.