Etta Express sweep Wilmington to open OAC play
Offense explodes for 27 hits in two games

April 1, 2006
MARIETTA, Ohio — The Marietta College baseball team opened up 2006 Ohio Athletic Conference play with a doubleheader sweep of Wilmington at Pioneer Park Saturday (Apr. 1). The Pioneer bats jumped all over the Quaker pitching en route to a 10-4 victory in game one. The outcome was closer in the second game but a pair of home runs propelled Marietta to a 7-4 win.

With the two victories, Marietta improved to 13-5 overall and 2-0 in league play, while Wilmington dropped to 5-6, 0-2 in the OAC.

Senior Mike DeMark took the hill in game one against a potent Wilmington lineup. The Quakers loaded the bases with no outs against the right-hander but failed to score. DeMark struck out two and then got the next hitter to pop out to shortstop to end the threat.

The Pioneer bats wasted little time getting started in their half of the frame. Junior Ryan Belanger led off with a triple to right center. He scored on an infield single by sophomore Tony Piconke. Senior Jarrod Klausman followed with a triple of his own to bring home Belanger and make the score 2-0.

Marietta went on to score in every inning but the sixth. In the second, sophomore Tad Thomas singled with one out, stole second and came across when Belanger singled up the middle.

Senior Justin Steranka had a RBI single in the third inning to score senior Chris Hendricks, who doubled earlier in the frame, and give MC a 4-0 lead.

It was Belanger who triggered the offense again in the fourth. He opened with a double. Piconke sacrificed him over to third. Meanwhile, the pitcher attempted to get Piconke at first base on the play, but the throw was off the mark and Belanger was able to score.

Wilmington got to DeMark for three runs on four hits in the fifth, only for Marietta to respond with five runs of its own in the bottom of the inning. Belanger picked up another single and a RBI and Klausman added a double and two RBIs. In addition, a Joe Litke sacrifice fly plated run and a Hendricks single to left made it 10-3.

The Quakers scratched another run across the board in the sixth, but they could not get any closer and the Pioneers claimed the 10-4 victory.

Belanger was one of many players to have a big game at the plate for Marietta, who totaled 19 hits in the win. Belanger finished 5-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBI. Klausman went 3-for-5 with three RBI, while Thomas added three hits and two runs scored.

DeMark improved to 2-0 after scattering four runs on nine hits in six innings. He finished with four strikeouts and walked one. Freshman Jason Baumler worked a four-pitch, 1-2-3 seventh in relief of DeMark.

Junior Mike Eisenberg was on the mound for game two. Again, the Quakers threatened but did not score in the first inning, while the Pioneers struck for three in their half. Piconke was hit by a pitch with one out and then stole second base. He scored on a RBI single by Litke, before Hendricks cracked a two-run home run to right field to put MC ahead 3-0.

The Pioneers added a run in the second when junior Ryan Eschbaugh reached on a fielder’s choice and scored when Piconke singled through the left side.

Wilmington came back with two runs on two hits while taking advantage of two Marietta errors to make the score 4-2.

The combination of a Lee Guerrera triple and a Belanger sacrifice fly plated a run for the Pioneers in the fourth. A Quaker sacrifice fly gave it another run in the top of the fifth.

Marietta completed its scoring in the fifth, when Steranka drilled a pitch over the right field fence for a two-run home run. Litke, who singled, scored on the play.

Wilmington added its final run on an error in the seventh, but a Eisenberg strikeout, his tenth of the game, closed the door on any further threat and Marietta won 7-4.

Eisenberg improved to 4-0 with the performance, which included allowing one earned run on nine hits and not walking a batter to go along with the ten strikeouts.

Marietta was out hit 9-to-8 in the game, but had three huge extra base hits. Litke and Steranka each finished 2-for-3 in the victory. Wilmington's Taylor Clark went 4-for-4 with three runs scored in the loss.

The Pioneers will return to action Tuesday (Apr. 4) when they travel to Denison for a single, nine-inning game at 7 p.m.