PORT CHARLOTTE, Florida — For the second time this week, the Marietta College baseball team defeated Kean University in extra innings. The Pioneers downed Kean, 6-5, in 10 innings Thursday (Mar. 15) afternoon. In the second game of the day, SUNY Canton beat the Pioneers, 7-4.

Marietta moves to 7-2 on the season. Kean falls to 6-9 overall, while SUNY Canton improves to 2-6 this spring.

Kean scored two runs in the top of the 10th taking a 5-3 lead. John Carello reached on a one-out single. Matt Krupa singled through the right side of the infield moving Carello to third.

With runners on the corners, Zach Joe bunted for a hit scoring Carello. Anthony Laureano followed with a single to right field scoring Krupa from second base and moving Joe to third base.

Kean tried a double steal and Joe was thrown at the plate for the second out of the inning. Pioneer pitcher David Stover struck out Chris Vetter to get out of the inning trailing by two, 5-3.

In the bottom of the inning Geoff Snyder led off with a walk and Jonathan Pingree singled bringing the winning run to the plate with no outs. A balk put both runners into scoring postion.

Marietta skipper Brian Brewer inserted Michael Barnabei to run for Pingree at second base. Catcher Brady Cottom walked to load the bases.

Following a trip to the mound by the Kean athletic trainer to exam pitcher Justin Diefenbach's throwing arm, Cougar head coach Neil Ioviero decided to stay with Diefenbach.

Diefenbach beaned Eddie Poster and pinch hitter Dylan Albright to tie the game, 5-5, with nobody out and the bases still juiced. Leadoff hitter Damian Yenzi worked a five-pitch walk scoring Cottom with the winning run.

Stover (3-0) got the win in relief. Stover worked 5.1 innings and allowed two runs on seven hits with three strikeouts. Scott Oberhelman started and pitched 4.2 innings. Oberhelman allowed three runs, two earned, on five hits. He walked two and struck out four.

Chris Perdoni started for the Cougars and worked 6.1 innings giving up three runs on five hits with six walks and five strikeouts. Diefenbach (1-1) was tagged with the loss. He threw 2.2 innings and gave up three runs on one hit with five walks and one strikeout.

Pingree was the lone Pioneer with two hits in the game. Poster picked up two RBI.

In the second game, SUNY Canton scored two runs in the second, third and fourth innings and then worked out of trouble several times in the game to get the win. Marietta stranded 15 runners on base.

Easton Berry (1-1) started and took the loss. Berry threw 2.1 innings and allowed four runs, three earned, on six hits. Jacob Baker, Nicklaus and Isaac Danford all pitched in relief for the Pioneers. Danford, in his collegiate debut, worked 3.0 innings of one-hit ball.

Jake Vierno (1-1) got the win working 6.0 innings and giving up four runs, two earned, on four hits. Zack Newman notched the save throwing 3.0 innings and allowing two runs on three hits.

Yenzi and Mike Hale each had two hits for Marietta.

The Etta Express is back in action on Friday (mar. 16) with a 3 p.m. game against North Central College.