MARIETTA, Ohio — No. 4 ranked and top-seeded Marietta College scored in every inning but the first en route to a 10-3 win over John Carroll University in the second round of the Ohio Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament Thursday (May 20) afternoon at Pioneer Park.
The Pioneers improve to 33-4 on the season and will now host the University of Mount Union in a best-of-three championship series. The Purple Raiders posted a 5-4 victory over Heidelberg University Thursday to make the championship series. John Carroll finishes their season with a 18-21-1 overall record.
After a scoreless first inning, Marietta got on the board in the bottom of the second when Jared Weiss singles up the middle driving in Trent Castle. Castle made it 2-0 in favor of the Etta Express when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the third inning.
The Pioneers double their lead with two runs in the fourth. Weiss led off with a walk and Turner Hill legged out a bunt for his first hit of the game. Damian Yenzi sacrificed the runners to second and third and Drew Holderbach lined a single to left-center scoring Weiss and Hill with his 49th and 50th RBI of the season.
Weiss added an RBI single in the fifth and Nick Bonnizzio smacked a single through the right side of the infield to plate a run in the sixth and extending the Pioneer lead to 6-0.
Marietta ace Gino Sabatine (9-0) gave up base hits to the first two John Carroll batters he faced in the game but settled down and held the Blue Streaks scoreless through five innings for his ninth win of the season. Sabatine pitched 5.0 innings scattering five hits. He walked two and struck out four.
Sam Mathews threw the final 4.0 innings for his sixth save of the spring. Mathews allowed three runs on four hits and struck out five.
John Carroll cut the Marietta lead in half with three runs in the seventh inning. Sam Heaton and Joe Olsavsky both singled with one out in the frame. Henry Haracz lined a triple into the right field corner scoring Heaton and Olsavsky. Justin Hanley plated Haracz with a groundout to the shortstop.
The Etta Express got one run back in the bottom of the seventh and then added three insurance runs in the eighth. Holderbach picked up his third RBI of the game with a sac fly on the seventh that scored Matthew Busby. A John Carroll wild pitch and fielding error led to the three Marietta runs in the eighth.
John Merrill (4-5) started on the mound for the Blue Streaks and took the loss. He gave up four runs on eight hits in 3.2 innings of work. Merrill walked three and struck out one. Five other Blue Streaks toed the rubber in the game.
Holderbach led the Pioneer offense going 3-for-3 with a triple, two runs scored and three runs batted in. Weiss and Hill each had two hits in the game.
Heaton and Olsavsky led John Carroll with three and four hits, respectively.