MARIETTA, Ohio — Baseball fans saw a pair of stellar pitching performances, one for Marietta and one for Ohio Northern, as the schools split their Ohio Athletic Conference opening doubleheader Saturday (March 26) afternoon at Pioneer Park.
 
No. 1 ranked Marietta College took game one, 8-0, while Ohio Northern salvaged the split with a 3-2 victory in the second game. The Pioneers are now 14-3 overall and 1-1 in the OAC. Ohio Northern moves to 6-9 on the season and 1-1 in the OAC.
 
Trent Valentine (5-0) dominated the Polar Bear hitters in game one throwing 8.0 shutout innings for the win. He scattered four singles and one walk while striking out 11 ONU batters. Griffin Malick worked the ninth inning and gave up one hit and one walk.
 
Marietta's offense scored in each of the first five innings. Logan Vietmeier got the Pioneers on the board in the first inning when his sac fly scored Damian Yenzi, who reached base on a double.
 
Brett Carson led off the second with a double, moved to third on a passed ball and scored when Trent Castle smack an RBI single to right field.
 
Turner Hill got things rolling in the third when he led off with a base hit bunt and then stole second base. Yenzi ripped his second double in as many at bats to score Hill.
 
Marietta made it 5-0 with two kore runs in the fourth. Alex Richter and Drew Wilkinson each plated a run with RBI ground outs. Carson walked and Castle singled. Both runners moved up on a wild pitch and then scored on the back-to-back ground outs.
 
Zach Boyd led off the fifth with a towering home run over the right field wall. Later in the frame, Castle tripled to left center wall scoring Carson, who reached on a fielder's choice.
 
The Pioneers made it 8-0 when Drew Holderbach scored on a wild pitch in the seventh inning.
 
Tom Pitko (0-3) started and took the loss for Ohio Northern. He gave up seven runs, six earned, on nine hits in 4.2 innings of work. Pitko walked three and struck out two. Three other Polar Bears toed the rubber in the game.
 
Yenzi finished 3-for-5 with two doubles and one RBI. Castle was 3-for-3 with a triple and two RBI. Hill and Boyd each had two hits in the game.
 
Ohio Northern spotted starting pitcher Tim Knapschaefer (1-3) a two-run lead in the top of the first inning. The junior righthander blanked Marietta for 7.0 innings to get his first win of the season. Knapschaefer allowed six hits, walked one and struck out five.
 
The Polar Bears added a run in the fifth for a 3-0 lead. Sam Harrison was hit by a pitch to leadoff the inning. Sam Sells moved Harrison into scoring position with a sac bunt. Two wild pitches allowed Harrison to score.
 
ONU went to the bullpen to start the eighth inning bringing in Noah Truax to replace Knapschaefer on the mound. Hill led off and reached on an error by the Polar Bear shortstop. Yenzi grounded to the first base who retired Hill at second. Following a Boyd flyout, Logan Vietmeier walked moving Yenzi into scoring position.
 
Valentine ran for Vietmeier at first base and moved to third on a double from Holderbach. Yenzi scored on the two-bagger. A pair of Truax wild pitches allowed Valentine to score and Holderbach moved to third base. Castle walked giving the Pioneers runner on the corners, but Truax got Richter to pop up ending the inning with ONU leading 3-2.
 
Marietta got the tying run on base in the ninth when pinch hitter Cole Francis was hit by a pitch to start the inning. Truax retired the next three batters to record his first save of the season. Truax worked 2.0 innings and gave up two unearned runs on one hit with two walks and two strikeouts.
 
Carson (3-1) started on the m9und for the Pioneers and took the loss. He worked 4.2 innings and was charged with three runs on five hits with two walks and five strikeouts. Isaac Danford allowed one hit and struck out four in 3.0 innings, while Sam Mathews retired all four batters he faced in 1.1 innings including a pair of strikeouts.
 
Wilkinson had a pair of doubles. Holderbach and Castle each had two hits as well for the Pioneers.
 
Marietta hosts Wittenberg University for a single nine-inning game on Sunday (March 27). First pitch is set for 2:00 p.m.