Etta Express drop two extra-inning affairs in first day of the 2006 season

Mar. 4, 2006
SALISBURY, Maryland — It was a setting Pioneer baseball fans had not seen since the 2001 World Series in Appleton, Wis. Saturday (Mar. 4) when the Etta Express matched up with Salisbury (Md.) and Montclair State (N.J.) on the diamond. These match-ups, however, occurred on the campus of Salisbury and the final scores were not nearly as satisfying for Marietta College.

Saturday’s action began against the host Sea Gulls, a team the Pioneers haven’t faced since the opening game of that 2001 World Series, a game that ended in a 1-0 victory for Marietta behind an NCAA record 19 strikeout performance from then-junior Matt DeSalvo, who is now with the N.Y. Yankees’ major league club.

Salisbury, ranked 30th in the preseason polls, already had 11 games under its belt before 8th-ranked Marietta saw its first pitch of the 2006 season. The Pioneers were able to hang with the Sea Gulls throughout the contest, which lasted 12 innings. Salisbury plated a run in the bottom of the 12th to capture the 3-2 victory and improve to 10-1 on the spring.

Senior Jarrod Klausman led the offense with a 3-for-5 performance at the plate for Marietta, who collected 10 hits overall in the loss. Junior Ryan Belanger and sophomore Zack Welch each added two hits apiece in the season opener.

Junior starter Mike Eisenberg did not factor into the decision, but had a solid first outing of the year. Eisenberg allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits. He struck out six, but walked seven. Freshman Alex Sedam suffered the loss, allowing just one unearned run in 2.0 innings of work.

Following the tough loss, Marietta turned its attention to Montclair State, another storied program in Division III baseball. For the Red Hawks, a team the Pioneers knocked out of that 2001 World Series in the semifinals, it was their first regular season game of the year.

Marietta looked as if it would run away with the victory early, as it scored three runs in the first and another in the second, but Montclair battled back to take a 5-4 advantage after 7.5 innings. The Pioneers were not ready to give in though and manufactured the tying run in the bottom of the eighth to send the game into extra innings. This time, it was the Red Hawks that had the last laugh, as they scored what turned out to be the game-winning run in the top of the tenth and then held off an Etta Express rally in the bottom of the frame to improve to 1-0 and send Marietta back to its hotel with two extra-inning losses to begin the year.

Belanger had two of the Pioneer’s five hits in the second game. Freshman Jason Baumler was given the start and allowed three runs (one earned) on seven hits in 6.0 innings of action. He struck out three in the no decision. Fellow freshman Scott Dunn was solid in relief but took the loss. He gave up one run and fanned four in 3.2 innings.

On the day, Marietta went just 15-of-75 (.200) at the plate and made seven errors in the field. The Pioneer’s pitchers, five of which were freshman, held the opponents to 16-of-78 (.205) hitting, stuck out 14 and walked 14.

The Pioneers will look to avenge the loss to the Sea Gulls and leave Maryland with a victory Sunday (Mar. 5), when the two teams battle at Sea Gull Field at 10 a.m.