MARIETTA, Ohio — The Etta Express rolled to its sixth straight win with a 12-2 victory over Kalamazoo College Friday (March 17) evening at Pioneer Park. Marietta improves to 10-4 on the season, while Kalamazoo falls to 4-4 overall.
 
Sophomore Zach Marzetz (2-0) tossed 5.0 shutout innings of relief to get the win. He allowed just one hit, walked one and struck out two. Gino Sabatine started and threw 3.0 innings allowing two runs on four hits with one walk and four strikeouts. Ben Sobb retired all three batters he faced in the ninth inning.
 
Marietta scored three unearned runs in the bottom of the first inning and never trailed in the game. Ty Davis drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly that allowed Alex Richter, who reached on a single, to tag and score. Brett Carson scored on an error by the Kalamazoo second baseman and Trent Valentine added an RBI single plating Ben Kaplin who reached on the error.
 
Kalamazoo cut the Marietta lead to one with a pair of runs in the top of the second inning. Robert Newland led off with a single and stole second. Lukas Bolton drove in Newland with a single and moved into scoring position on the throw to the plate. He later scored on an RBI single from Tanner Hawkins.
 
After two scoreless innings, the Pioneer offense scored six runs over the middle three innings and then added three insurance runs in the eighth. Valentine delivered a two-run triple in the sixth inning and Matthew Busby lined a two-run single to left center in the eighth inning.
 
Jacob Davis (1-1) started on the mound for Kalamazoo and took the loss after giving up five runs, two earned, on 10 hits in 5.0 innings of work. Four other pitchers toed the rubber for Kalamazoo.
 
Busby and Nick Bonnizzio each had three hits for the Pioneers. Bonnizzio had a double, while Busby drove in two runs. Valentine and Cole Rieman had two hits apiece with Valentine driving in three runs.
 
Marietta plays Johnson & Wales University Saturday (March 18) at 3:15 p.m.