No. 5 Etta Express sweep No. 18 Golden Eagles
Marietta improves to 12-3-1 on the year and wins seventh straight at home

Mar. 26, 2005
MARIETTA, Ohio - The Marietta College baseball team battled another Top 25 squad this afternoon (Mar. 26) in a non conference doubleheader at Pioneer Park. The Etta Express, ranked 5th in the preseason poll, used a four-run sixth inning to take game one, 4-1, and then pounded out 15 hits to capture the second game, 11-2, against No. 18 SUNY-Brockport.

The Golden Eagles (7-3), who finished fifth at the NCAA DIII World Series in 2004, held the high-powered Marietta offense quiet through the first five innings of game one.

Marietta senior Justin Papania (Butler, PA) and SUNY-Brockport freshman Rob Maxwell found themselves in a pitchers dual early, as neither team could muster a run. The Golden Eagles finally cracked the scoreboard in the sixth, taking advantage of two errors to score a single unearned run off Papania.

The Etta Express (12-3-1) quickly responded in their half of the sixth frame by scoring four runs. Freshman Zack Welch (Vincent/Warren) got things started with a one-out single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. SUNY-Brockport then intentionally walked senior Chris Sidick (Cecil, PA/Canon McMillan) and walked pinch hitter Joe Litke (Windsor, CT) to load the bases.

Freshman Tony Piconke (Clinton Twp, MI/Clintondale) and sophomore John Sciullo (Bethel Park, PA) greeted a new Golden Eagle pitcher with back-to-back two-run singles to give Marietta a 4-1 advantage.

Papania retired the first two hitter in the seventh, before the next two Brockport State batters reached base. Senior Mike Mooney (Pittsburgh, PA/Shady Side Academy) relieved Papania and ended the threat by getting a ground out to end the game. Papania (2-1) picked up the victory, allowing one unearned run on six hits. He struck out three and walked two. Papania improved his career record to 11-0 all-time at Pioneer Park. Mooney earned his first save of the spring.

Offensively for Marietta, Sciullo was the only Pioneer with two hits, as he went 2-for-3 with two RBI. Brockport's Ryan Mohr and Sean Davis each had two hits in the loss.

Marietta's offense made sure that game two was not another nail biter by scoring two runs in each of the first two innings. Sidick led off the game with a double and Piconke followed with a RBI triple. He then scored on a wild pitch to put MC ahead 2-0. Welch singled home a run in the second and sophomore Ryan Eschbaugh (Marietta), who made his first start of the year, added the fourth run by scoring on a wild pitch.

Brockport State responded in the third with two runs of its own off Etta Express reliever Jeff Fiegel (Severn, MD/Arundel).

After Marietta added a run in the fourth, it broke the game open in the fifth when it batted around and plated five more runs. The Etta Express strung together six hits, three of which did not leave the infield, in the inning, which was highlighted by a two-run double by Piconke.

Eschbaugh double and score the final run in the seventh inning for Marietta, who has now won seven straight home games.

Mooney (5-0) started and picked up the victory in game two. In two innings, he allowed three hits, walked one and struck out one. Feigel allowed two runs (one earned) in two innings, before Mike Eisenberg (Coral Gables, FL/Bullis), Derek Cummings (Tuscarawas/Indian Valley) and Mike DeMark (Jeanette, PA/Penn-Trafford) combined to shutout the Golden Eagles over the last five innings.

Marietta will return to action Monday (Mar. 28) for its final tune-up before Ohio Athletic Conference play, which starts Tuesday (Mar. 19) at Capital. Monday's game will featured the Pioneers against Seton Hill (PA). First pitch is slated for 5 p.m.