A pair of pitching gems lead MC to sweep of JCU in Conference finale
Etta Express win OAC Regular Season Title and right to host OAC Tournament

May 7, 2005
UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio - The Etta Express are starting to put things together just in time for postseason play. Under the direction of second-year head coach Brian Brewer, Marietta College baseball locked up its second straight Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) regular season title with a doubleheader sweep, 5-0 & 8-0, of host John Carroll Saturday (May 6).

Marietta improves to 29-8-1 overall and finishes 14-4 in OAC play. John Carroll finishes its season 17-18 overall and 6-12 in the OAC.

The Pioneers got dominating performances on the hill from its two senior starters, Justin Papania (Butler, PA) and Mike Mooney (Pittsburgh, PA/Shady Side Academy). Both flirted with no-hitters late in their games, only to have them broken up by the same JCU player, Mike Wade. Wade, however was the only Blue Streak to get a hit on the afternoon, as both Papania and Mooney allowed just one hit in their wins.

Papania got the nod in game one. He walked two hitters in the first frame, but no damage was done as junior catcher Lee Guerrera (Wolcott, CT) gunned down one Blue Streak trying to steal and the other was erased on a fielders choice to end the inning.

Marietta took a 1-0 advantage in the third, when Guerrera drew a two out walk. He stole second base on the next pitch and came around to score as the throw got by the second baseman and into center field, only for the ball to be bobbled by the center fielder, allowing the junior to score from first base.

The score remained at 1-0 until the sixth. In fact, neither team had a hit until Guerrera led off the top of the sixth frame with a double. Senior Chris Sidick (Cecil, PA/Canon McMillan) followed with a two run homer to right, his team leading 10th of the spring, and MC took a 3-0 lead. The Pioneers went on to score two more runs in the inning, one by a RBI single off the bat of sophomore Ryan Eschbaugh (Marietta) and the other on a sacrifice fly by sophomore Joe Litke (Windsor, CT).

Papania faced the minimum number of hitters from the second through sixth, allowing just a walk in the fifth. The Blue Streak player, however, was once again retired trying to steal second base.

Wade's double inside the third base line, past a diving Eschbaugh broke up Papania's bid for his first career no-hitter. The senior bounced back to get the next two hitters to seal the win. Papania, who struck out six and walked three, improved to 5-2 on the year and lowered his ERA to a team-best 1.12.

Marietta finished with five hits in the game, while John Carroll committed five errors in the loss. Guerrera was the only player with two hits; he also scored two runs.

Mooney was sent to the mound to try to better Papania's gem and he almost pulled it off. The senior did not allow a hit of his own until there were two outs in the sixth inning of game two. Once again it was Wade who came through for JCU, this time with a single to left.

Mooney (10-2), who walked three, gave way to fellow senior Bo Cooksey (Atwater/Waterloo) in the seventh and Cooksey got three straight Blue Streaks to finish off the sweep.

Marietta's offense began its scoring in game two with a RBI single by freshman Zack Welch (Vincent/Warren Local) in the first, which scored Sidick.

The Pioneers added a run in the fourth, when Guerrera drove in Welch, and another in the fifth when freshman Tony Piconke (Clinton Twp, MI/Clintondale) singled home junior Chris Hendricks (Little Hocking/Warren Local).

The Etta Express extended their lead to 8-0 with five runs in the sixth, all with two out. Sophomores John Sciullo (Bethel Park, PA) and Ryan Belanger (Coldwater, MI) each had a RBI single, while Hendricks drove in two with a single and scored on a three-base error off the bat of Sidick.

As a team, Marietta knocked out 14 hits in game two. Sciullo finished 3-for-4, while Belanger, Welch, Guerrera and Hendricks each added two hits apiece in the win.

Saturday's games concluded the OAC regular season for Marietta and also solidified the seeds for the upcoming OAC Tournament, which will be held at Pioneer Park beginning Thursday (May 12). The Etta Express are the number one seed, with Otterbein earning the second seed. Wilmington and Heidelberg tied for third place in the league with 11-7 records, but the Quakers sneak into the third seed because they swept the Student Princes earlier this spring.

Therefore, the pairings for Thursday are as follows. No. 2 Otterbein will battle No. 3 Wilmington at 3:30 p.m. Friday, while No. 1 Marietta will take on No. 4 Heidelberg at 7 p.m.