Etta Express open season with doubleheader sweep of Lakeland (WI) at Port Charlotte (FL) Invitational

Mar. 5 , 2005
PORT CHARLOTTE, Florida - The Marietta College baseball team opened up its 2005 schedule at the Port Charlotte (FL) Invitational. For the first time in 33 years, the Pioneers did not play their first game in Panama City (FL). The change of scenery produced similar results, however, as Marietta swept Lakeland (WI) 12-2 and 11-2 on Saturday morning (Mar. 5).

Senior Mike Mooney (Pittsburgh, PA/Shady Side Academy) took the hill for the Etta Express in the opener. Mooney (1-0) surrendered two runs (one earned) on four hits in 6.0 innings of work. The righthander struck out eight and walked four in his season debut. Junior Bill Bakos (Framingham, MA) pitched a perfect seventh to secure the win.

The Pioneers jumped on the Muskies for four runs in the second inning, three in the third and three more in the fourth, before rounding out the scoring with two in the sixth frame. Junior Lee Guerrera's (Wolcott, CT) single drove in the first two runs, while senior Chris Sidick (Cecil, PA/Canon McMillan) followed with a two-run triple.

Overall, Guerrera finished 3-for-4 with a runs scored and four RBI. Freshman Tony Piconke (Clinton Twp, MI/Clintondale) was a perfect 3-for-3 with a double, a triple, four runs and two RBI in his first collegiate game. Sophomore Joe Litke (WIndsor, CT) added two hits and two runs in the win. The Pioneers totaled 13 hits in the game and committed four errors.

Marietta's bats stayed hot in game two, batting around in the first inning and plating three runs. Three runs proved to be more than enough with junior Mike DeMark (Jeanette, PA/Penn-Trafford) on the mound. DeMark scattered two unearned runs on five hits with eight strikeouts in 5.6 innings to pick up his first win of the spring. Junior Brian Hanolt (East Palestine) finished the game, allowing two hits in 1.3 innings of action.

Sidick led off the game with a triple to get things going and junior Justin Steranka (Pittsburgh, PA/Mt. Lebanon) drove him in with an RBI single. Steranka drove in three more runs in the third with a triple and finished 3-for-5 in the win. Sidick, junior Jarrod Klausman (Altoona, PA) sophomore John Sciullo (Bethel Park, PA) and Guerrera each added two hits in game two. As a team, Marietta finished with 12 hits and committed three errors in the win.

Marietta returns to action tomorrow when it takes on Cortland State (NY) at 11:30 a.m.