MARIETTA, Ohio — Ben Kaplin worked a bases loaded walk in the bottom of the eighth inning driving in the winning run in Marietta College's 7-6 victory over Ohio Wesleyan University Sunday (March 19) afternoon in the BSN SPORTS Invitational. The Pioneers improve to 11-5 on the season, while Ohio Wesleyan falls to 7-3 overall.
 
The Battling Bishops scored four runs in the top of eighth inning to tie the game, 6-6. D.J. Neff smacked a two-run home run to right field chasing Pioneer reliever Nick Kumor from the game. Jacob Rocky took over for Kumor.
 
Sammy Stoner reached on an infield single and moved to third on a single to right from Zane Vitense. A wild pitch scored Stoner and moved Vitense into scoring position. Rocky got Ryan Duckworth to ground out, but Vitense moved to third on the play. Blake Farley followed with a perfectly place bunt scoring Vitense with the tying run. Rocky struck out the next batter to end the inning.
 
Matthew Busby led off the bottom of the eighth with a bunt single. Nick Bonnizzio hit a sharp ground ball to the first baseman who misplayed the ball giving the Pioneers runners at first and second. Alex Richter was hit by a pitch loading the bases with nobody out.
 
Brandon Frankel replaced Joe Tepper on the mound and struck out Brett Carson for the first out. Frankel walked Kaplin scoring Busby with the winning run. Tyler Monaco replaced Frankel and retired the next two hitters to keep it a one run game.
 
Rocky (1-0) struck out the side in the top of the ninth for his first career win. Rocky worked 1.2 innings and allowed two runs on three hits with four strikeouts. Carson started and tossed 5.0 shutout innings striking out seven, walking four and giving up four hits. Jared Bees and Nick Kumor pitched in middle relief before Rocky closed out the game.
 
Andy Anthony started for Ohio Wesleyan and gave up six runs, three earned, on seven hits in 5.0 innings of work. He walked two and struck out four. Tepper (0-1) took the loss after giving up one unearned run on one hit in two thirds innings.
 
Marietta scored a run in the first and three more in the second. Richter doubled in the first and moved to third on a wild pitch. The Ohio Wesleyan catcher threw the ball into left field on the wild pitch allowing Richter to score.
 
Austin Amburgey reached on a dropped pop up in the infield to start the second inning. Cole Rieman followed with a double down the right field line. A sac fly from Busby allowed Amburgey to score. Bonnizzio followed with a triple into the left field corner plating Rieman. Richter knocked in Bonnizzio with a ground out to the second baseman for a 4-0 Marietta lead.
 
Richter tripled and scored on a sac fly from Carson in the fourth. Trent Valentine walked, stole second and later scored on an error in the fifth making it 6-0 in favor of the Pioneers.
 
Back-to-back RBI doubles got Ohio Wesleyan on the board in the sixth. Noah Brazytis doubled down the left field line scoring Edrick Padilla, who reached on a fielder's choice. Ryan Stefancin followed with a double down the left field line scoring Brazytis.
 
Richter had a double and a triple for the Pioneers, while Carson had two hits including a double. Rieman also finished with a double and a single.
 
Marietta hosts No. 13 ranked Denison University on Wednesday (March 22) at 5:00 p.m.