Marietta and Muskingum split OAC twinbill

Apr. 20, 2005
MARIETTA, Ohio - The Marietta College baseball team split an important doubleheader Wednesday (Apr. 20) with visiting Muskingum. The Pioneers (22-7-1, 7-3 OAC) had an opportunity to regain a share of first place thanks to an Otterbein loss earlier in the day, but the Fighting Muskies (17-15, 5-5 OAC) stole game one by the score of 9-7. Marietta jumped ahead in game two 7-0, but Muskingum stormed back with seven runs in the top of the sixth to tie the score at 7-7. The Etta Express bounced back with three of their own in the bottom of the frame and held on for the 10-7 victory.

Marietta trailed from the onset in game one, as the Muskies scored two runs of Pioneers starter Mike Mooney (Pittsburgh, PA/Shady Side Academy). The Pioneers pulled within one in the second when sophomore Ryan Eschbaugh (Marietta) reached on an error and scored on another.

Muskingum added another run in the third and five more in the fifth, knocking Mooney out of the game, but not before he allowed six runs on seven hits in 4.3 innings of work.

The Etta Express were able to score two runs in each of the last three innings, but Muskingum's Greg McKenzie held on for the complete-game 9-7 victory to improve to 5-2 on the spring. Mooney took the loss, his second straight, and is now 8-2.

Freshman Zack Welch (Vincent/Warren) and junior Lee Guerrera (Wolcott, CT) each finished 2-for-3 with a RBI. Justin Steranka (Pittsburgh, PA/Mt. Lebanon) hit his fifth home run of the spring in the seventh frame.

Muskingum's middle of the order, Bill Rockwell, Scott Ringhiser, and Adam Hesler combined to go 7-for-11 in the win, the Muskies first over Marietta since 2000, and only their 15th in the last 100 games.

In what has become a common theme over the last few weeks, junior Mike DeMark (Jeanette, PA) took the mound in game two trying to salvage a split. DeMark shutdown the Muskies four five straight innings to open the game, allowing Marietta to build a 7-0 advantage.

The Pioneers opened with two in the first and scored in every inning of the game. Muskingum, however, finally got to DeMark for five runs in the sixth, knocking him out of the game. Mike Eisenberg (Coral Gables, Fl/Bullis) relieved the junior and gave up two runs of his own in the inning and the score was tied at 7-7 entering the bottom of the sixth.

Marietta quickly regained the lead with three runs in the bottom of the frame and held off a seventh inning Muskie rally to escape with a 10-7 victory.

DeMark allowed five run on five hits, walked five and struck out eight, while Eisenberg (4-1) was credited with the win after giving up two runs on four hits in 1.6 innings of action. He fanned three in the win. Muskingum's Joe Marchiano took the loss in relief, falling to 0-3 on the year.

Tony Piconke (Clinton Twp, MI/Clintondale) and Chris Hendricks (Little Hocking/Warren) each had a triple and three of Marietta's 12 hits in the victory. Steranka added two more singles in the win. Senior Chris Sidick (Cecil, PA/Canon McMillan) hit his team-high eighth home run of the spring in the win.

Marietta will return to action Saturday (Apr. 23) in a key OAC doubleheader, when first place Otterbein (15-9, 8-2 OAC) comes to town for an Alumni Day doubleheader at 12 p.m.