BEREA, Ohio — Jared Bees tossed four-plus innings of shutout relief as Marietta College exacted a measure of revenge on Otterbein University with a 7-2 win over the Cardinals Friday (May 10) afternoon in the Ohio Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament.
Marietta improves to 23-18 on the season and will face top-seeded Baldwin Wallace University (35-7) for the OAC Tournament Championship on Saturday (May 11). The Pioneers will need to beat Baldwin Wallace twice to claim the championship. First pitch is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. Otterbein finishes its season with a 26-15 overall record.
Less than 24 hours after being tagged with the loss when Otterbein scored five runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat Marietta 8-7, Pioneer skipper Brian Brewer called on Bees to get the Pioneers out of trouble in the fifth inning.
With the game tied, 2-2, Bees took over with runners on first and second and one out. He got Brayden Quincel, Otterbein's leading hitter, to pop up and then he struck out Gavin Thompson to end the inning.
Bees (2-2) continued to dominate the Cardinal hitters and picked up the win after working 4.2 innings without allowing a run. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out five. Jacob Rocky started and threw 4.0 innings allowing one run on five hits with one walk and three strikeouts. Gabe Torres allowed one run on two hits in one-third of an inning.
Marietta exploded for five runs in the top of the seventh inning. Following a leadoff pop up for the first out, Jeremy Tonelli and Austin Amburgey singled. Cael Magill lined the first pitch he saw to the wall in center field for a two-run triple and a 4-2 Pioneer lead.
Otterbein pulled starting pitcher Grady Kehr and brought in Brady Heagen. Trent Valentin greeted Heagen with a perfectly placed base hit bunt scoring Magill. Ben Kaplin followed with a double down the left field line plating Valentine and chasing Heagen from the game. Kaplin moved to third when his hit was misplayed in the outfield. Kail Hill grounded out to the second baseman allowing Kaplin to score for a 7-2 lead.
Otterbein managed to get a base runner in each of the last three innings, but couldn't push a run across the plate. The Cardinals got their leadoff hitter on in the ninth only to have Bees retire the next three batters for the victory.
Kehr (2-3) took the loss. He allowed five runs, four earned, on eight hits with three walks and four strikeouts in 6.1 innings. Heagen gave up two runs, one earned, on two hits. Luke Walter worked the final 2.2 innings and did not allow a hit and struck out two.
Valentine led the Pioneer offense going 3-for-5 with a double. Tonelli had two hits, while Kaplin doubled and Magill tripled and drove in two runs.