MARIETTA, Ohio — The No. 10 ranked Marietta College baseball team won both games of an Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader against John Carroll University Saturday (April 3) afternoon. The Pioneers posted 12-5 and 11-5 wins over the Blue Streaks to complete a four-game sweep.
The Pioneers improve to 14-1 overall and sit in first place in the OAC standings with a 14-1 league record. John Carroll falls to 8-7 on the season and 5-6 in the OAC.
Trailing 1-0 heading into the third inning, the Etta Express put six runs on the board to take the lead for good. The big blow for the Pioneers was a grand slam off the bat of Jared Weiss. The blast cleared the wall in right field and was Weiss's first career home run.
Brady Cottom manufactured a run for Marietta in the sixth. He led off with a single to center and stole second base. A sac bunt from Drew Wilkinson moved Cottom to third and a sac fly from Turner Hill allowed him to score.
The Blue Streaks got one run in the fifth and three more in the sixth to get within two runs, 7-5. But Marietta responded with three runs in the eighth and two more in the ninth for the 12-5 win.
Dalton Wiggins (4-0) started on the mound for the Pioneers and got the win. He worked 6.0 innings and allowed five runs on eight hits and struck out seven. Sam Mathews earned his third save of the season with 3.0 innings of one-hit, shutout relief. Mathews struck out four Blue Streaks.
Andrew Steele (2-1) took the loss. Steele started and worked 3.0 innings allowing six runs on six hits with two walks and three strikeouts. Four other Blue Streaks threw in relief.
Cottom led the Pioneer attack with four hits and four runs scored. Hill, Weiss, Wilkinson, Zach Boyd and Drew Wilkinson each had two hits in the game.
JCU game two starter John Merrill held Marietta without a hit through the first four innings. The Blue Streaks scored a run in the first and another in the third for a 2-0 lead.
Cottom broke up the no-hitter with a leadoff single in the fifth inning. Weiss would add a two-run double and Drew Holderbach drew a bases loaded walk as the Pioneers took a 3-2 lead.
Cottom and Trent Castle got the Etta Express rolling again in the sixth with back-to-back singles to lead off the inning. Matthew Busby followed with a two-run triple and then scored when Hill lined a single to left center extending the Pioneer lead to 6-2.
Marietta added five more runs in its final two at bats. Logan Vietmeier smacked a two-run home run off the scoreboard in left center to highlight the late inning rally.
Trent Valentine (1-0) picked up the win in relief of starter John Stover. Stover threw 3.1 innings and allowed two runs on four hits. Valentine worked 4.2 hitless, shutout innings. He walked three and struck out three. Dylan Risola pitched the ninth and allowed three runs on five hits.
Merrill (3-1) took the loss after giving up three runs on three hits in 4.2 innings of work. He walked four and struck out three.
Hill, Cottom and Caste each had three hits in the game for Marietta. Weiss finished with two hits.
Marietta hosts Capital University on Saturday (April 10) for an OAC doubleheader. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.