SALEM, Virginia — The No. 15 ranked Marietta College baseball team split a pair of games Sunday (March 5) afternoon. The Pioneers lost to SUNY Brockport by the score of 5-3 and then defeated Roanoke, 7-3. Marietta is 5-4 on the season.
Brockport (2-3 overall) scored two runs in the first and three more in the fourth to chase Pioneer starter Gino Sabatine from the game. Sabatine (0-2) took the loss working 3.0 innings and allowing five runs on six hits. He walked two and struck out two.
Marietta generated a run in the fifth. Trent Valentine led off with a double and was sacrificed to third on a Kail Hill bunt. Matthew Busby drove Valentine home with a ground out to the second baseman.
The Pioneers made it 5-3 with two more runs in the seventh. Valentine got things rolling again with an infield single. Two wild pitches moved him to third base. Following a strikeout, Busby flew out to center field allowing Valentine to tag and score. Nick Bonnizzio hit a solo home run to right field for MC's final run of the inning.
Brockport starter Matthew Colucci (1-0) had a strong start throwing 7.0 innings for the win. He gave up three runs on eight hits and struck out six. Anthony Lapine earned a save with 2.0 innings of one-hit, shutout relief.
Valentine and Bonnizzio led the Pioneer attack. Valentine went 4-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. Bonnizzio had three hits including the home run.
Against Roanoke (6-5 overall) in the second game, Marietta scored five runs in the last two innings to come from behind and get the victory.
Trailing 3-2 heading into the eighth inning, the Etta Express plated three runs in the eight and added two insurance runs in the ninth.
Ben Kaplin, Braden Shepherd and CJ Elias all singled to load the bases with no outs in the top of the eighth inning. Hill lined a single to right driving in pinch runner Ty Davis and tying the game, 3-3. Busby gave Marietta the lead when he knocked in Shepherd with a ground out. Elias eventually scored on a sac fly from Alex Richter for a 5-3 Pioneer lead.
Valentine led off the ninth with a walk and scored when Davis Lined a double to the center field wall. Davis moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on an error to make it 7-3.
Josh Pedersen (1-1) got the win in relief of starter Brett Carson. Pedersen threw 2.1 innings and retired all seven batters he faced, including two by strikeout. Carson pitched 4.2 innings and allowed three unearned runs on three hits. Valentine threw the ninth inning for his first save of the season. He struck out two.
Six different pitchers toed the rubber for Roanoke. Reliever Isaac Brooks (0-1) took the loss. He gave up three runs on four hits in 2.1 innings.
Kaplin was 3-for-3 with two runs batted in for the Pioneers. Elias collected a pair of base hits.
Marietta will travel to South Carolina for a three-game series with Cortland State Thursday through Sunday (March 9-11). First pitch on Thursday is set for 3:00 p.m.