CLEVELAND, Ohio — Top-ranked Marietta College posted a pair of shutout victories over Case Western Reserve University Tuesday (April 5) afternoon. The Etta Express rolled to a 9-0 win in game one and completed the sweep with a 3-0 win in the second game. Marietta improves to 21-3 on the season. Case Western falls to 12-13 overall.
 
Seniors Isaac Danford and Griffin Malick combined to pitch the first game shutout for the Pioneers. Danford started and worked 4.1 innings giving up six hits with two walks and five strikeouts. Malick (3-0) threw the final 4.2 innings and allowed two hits and struck out two.
 
Marietta took advantage of a Case Western throwing error to plate a pair of unearned runs in the second inning. Zach Boyd led off with an infield single and Trent Castle was hit by a pitch. Brett Carson dropped down a sac bunt moving both runners into scoring position.
 
Spartan catcher Jack Anderson tried to pick Boyd off at third base and threw the ball into left field allowing Boyd and Castle to score.
 
Castle made it 4-0 with a two-run single in the third. Drew Holderbach and Logan Vietmeier walked, and Boyd was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Castle. Castle slapped a single through the right side of the infield driving in Holderbach and Vietmeier.
 
The Pioneers added two more in the fourth and another run in the fifth pushing the lead to 7-0. Vietmeier had an RBI double, and Alex Richter plated a run with an RBI single.
 
Richter added another RBI single in the ninth to go along with a sac fly from Holderbach for a 9-0 MC lead.
 
Reece Marley (3-3) started and took the loss on the mound. Marley pitched 3.0 innings and gave up two runs on four hits. Kyle Gearding allowed three runs on seven hits with four walks and two strikeouts in 5.0 innings of work. Keaton Stankowski and Michael Shinohara worked the ninth inning.
 
Castle went 2-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and two RBI. Richter had a pair of singles and drove in two runs, while Boyd went 2-for-5.
 
Marietta grabbed an early 2-0 lead in the second game when Turner Hill delivered a two-out single to left field in the top of the second inning. Holderbach walked and moved to third on a single from Richter.Ben Kaplin was hit by a pitch to load the bases with two outs. Hill lined a full count pitch to left scoring Holderbach and Richter.
 
Freshman Zach Marzetz started on the mound for the Pioneers and blanked the Spartans through 4.0 innings. He gave up five hits, walked one and struck out two. Trent Valentine (7-0) retired all three batters he faced in the fifth inning to get the win.
 
Carson worked sixth inning giving up one hit and striking out one. Matt Kahn made his first appearance of the season and pitched 0.2 innings walking one batter. Sam Mathews recorded his seventh save of the year allowing one hits and striking out one in the final 2.1 innings.
 
The Pioneers added an insurance run in the eighth inning when Boyd led off with a walk. Castle singled up the middle and then Richter plated Boyd with a single to right field. Richter went 4-for-4 with one run scored and one RBI. Hill finished 3-for-4 with two RBI.
 
Willem Bouma (0-3) started and was tagged with the loss for CWRU. He threw 3.2 innings and allowed two runs on five hits with one walk and one strikeout. Tyler Horvath allowed one run on four hits in 4.0 innings of relief, while Sankalp Doshi walked two and struck out one over the final 1.1 innings.
 
Marietta returns home to host Wilmington College this Saturday (April 9) for a 1 p.m. doubleheader. It will be Community Day at Pioneer Park with free admission, t-shirts and food for the fans.