WASHINGTON, Pa. — Freshman Justin Aviles pitched six shutout innings as Marietta College defeated Washington & Jefferson College by the score of 6-3 Wednesday (April 17) evening in a nonconference baseball matchup. The Pioneers improve to 14-15 on the season, while the Presidents slip to 19-9 overall.
Aviles (1-2) scattered three hits and notched a career-high nine strikeouts to earn his first collegiate win. He walked one W&J batter.
Marietta plated an unearned run in the top of the first inning. Damian Yenzi reached on an error by the third baseman advancing all the way to second base. A wild pitch moved him to third where he later scored on an RBI single up the middle from Drew Holderbach.
Washington & Jefferson appeared to tie the game in the bottom of the inning when Justin Griffin walked and Josh Crummer laced a double into the right center gap. Griffin would have scored easily but the ball bounced over the fence for a ground rule double sending him back to third base. Aviles proceeded to strikeout the next three batters to preserve Marietta's 1-0 lead.
Pitching dominated both offenses and the score remained 1-0 through six innings. The Pioneers finally broke through with two runs in the top of the seventh.
Brady Cottom led off with a single to center field and was sacrificed into scoring position by Seamus Kenneally. Drew Wilkinson singled to center and went to second on the throw to the plate. Cottom was held at third by the Pioneer base coach. Following a strikeout, Yenzi singled up the middle driving in both Cottom and Wilkinson.
Brenden Lacorato took over on the mound for Aviles to start the bottom of the seventh. He was greeted by a solo home run off the bat of Crummer cutting the MC lead to 3-1.
Marietta extended its lead with three more runs in the eighth. Drew Holderbach reached on a one-out double. Following a pop out, Cottom had an infield single to third moving Holderbach up ninety feet.
Kenneally ripped a double to left center scoring Holderbach and moving Cottom to third. Wilkinson was credited with a single when his ground ball hit the base umpire loading the bases. Isaac Huffman stepped to the plate and poked a base hit through the right side of the infield scoring Cottom and Kenneally for a 6-1 Pioneer lead.
Washington & Jefferson tried to rally in the ninth inning. Crummer worked a leadoff walk and then Ada Moore smacked a two-run homer over the left field wall. Lacorato retired the next batter and then gave up a double to Joey Bolick.
Marietta head coach Brian Brewer went to the bullpen and brought in Gino Sabatine. Sabatine struck out the first batter he faced and then got a pop up to Wilkinson at Shortstop for the final out.
Sabatine was credited with his first save of the season after retiring both batters he faced. Lacorato worked 2.1 innings and gave up three runs on three hits. He walked two and struck out one.
Nick Drake (1-2) started and took the loss for W&J. He pitched 4.0 innings and allowed one unearned run on three hits with one walk and four strikeouts. Tanner Gaerke threw 2.0 shutout innings giving up two hits and striking out one. Clay Martin was tagged for five runs on eight hits in 2.0 innings, while Henty Litman gave up one hit in an inning of relief.
Marietta's freshman middle infield duo of Holderbach and Wilkinson each had three hits in the game. Holderbach went 3-for-5 with a double, a run scored and an RBI. Wilkinson finished 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Huffman and Yenzi drove in two runs each and Cottom scored twice.
Marietta returns home to host Ohio Northern University in an Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader Saturday (April 20) at 1 p.m