No. 19 Marietta sweeps Heidelberg in key OAC doubleheader
First time Pioneers sweep Student Princes in regular season since 2002

Apr. 8, 2006
TIFFIN, Ohio – Saturday (Apr. 8) afternoon was one of those dates that Pioneer baseball players circle on the schedule. In recent years, very few Marietta College regular season games are looked forward to with some much anticipation as the ones with Heidelberg. The Pioneers and Student Princes's rivalry has blossomed in recent years, as they continuously battle for OAC supremacy.

The site of the 2006 edition of the rivalry was Peaceful Valley, a place that Marietta faithful have very few fond memories. On Saturday, however, the No. 19 Etta Express added some good memories, as they swept a doubleheader from the Student Princes, 3-2 & 6-3, to remain in first place in the Ohio Athletic Conference.

With the victories, Marietta improved to 17-5 overall and 4-0 in league play. Heidelberg fell to 15-8 overall and 2-2 in the OAC. It was the first time that the Pioneers swept a doubleheader from the Student Princes since 2002, which was also at Peaceful Valley.

Marietta junior Mike Eisenberg and Heidelberg senior Ben Thorpe went head-to-head on the mound in the first game of the afternoon.

The Pioneers struck first with a run in the top of the first off Thorpe. Senior Chris Hendricks drew a one out walk to get things going for Marietta. Senior Jarrod Klausman then singled and Hendricks moved to second. Senior Justin Steranka followed with a RBI single to plate Hendricks with the first run of the day.

Marietta added two more runs in the second frame. Sophomore Tony Piconke opened with a single and senior Lee Guerrera followed with a walk. Junior Ryan Eschbaugh then sacrificed both runners over with a bunt, before sophomore Tad Thomas delivered a two-run single up the middle to put MC ahead 3-0.

Thorpe (4-3) settled down from there and allowed just three hits over the next five innings. He finished with two walks and two strikeouts in the loss.

Eisenberg, meanwhile, did not run into any trouble until the fourth inning, when Heidelberg got two runs on four hits in the frame. The lengthy right-hander regrouped to get a strikeout to end the inning and threw shutout ball the rest of the way. Eisenberg, who improved to 5-0, allowed just six hits and finished with a career-high 11 strikeouts.

Klausman finished with three of Marietta's seven hits in the win, while senior A.J. Schlea went 2-for-2 for Heidelberg.

Senior Mike DeMark was given the start in the nightcap for Marietta. The right-hander, who entered 2-0 lifetime against Heidelberg, gave up a run on three hits in the bottom of the first inning.

Marietta responded with a three-run second inning to take the lead. Piconke walked with one out. Guerrera followed with a double and Eschbaugh drove in both Piconke and Guerrera with a two-run single. Junior Ryan Belanger picked up the third RBI with a fielder's choice.

The Pioneers extended their lead to 4-1 in the third and 5-1 in the fifth, when Steranka scored both runs on singles by Piconke and Guerrera, respectively.

Heidelberg was able to score twice in its half of the fifth, when Matt Decker hit a home run to left field off DeMark.

Marietta closed out the scoring with a run in the seventh. Thomas had a RBI when he reached on a fielder's choice.

DeMark improved to 3-1 on the year with the victory. He allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits, while striking out four and walking three in 5.1 innings. Freshman Ryan Dennick worked the final 1.2 innings to pick up his first collegiate save. Travis Fox (3-2) suffered the loss for Heidelberg, as he was tagged for four runs (three earned) on five hits in 3.2 innings.

Marietta's offense finished with 12 hits, while Heidelberg had six. The Student Princes committed five errors in the loss.

Eschbaugh finished 3-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored, Thomas, Hendricks and Guerrera each had two hits in the game. Decker was the only Heidelberg player with two hits in the second game.

Marietta will look to extend its nine-game win streak when it plays host to Bethany (W.Va.) for a single, nine-inning game Tuesday (Apr. 11) at Pioneer Park. First pitch is slated for 7:35 p.m. A junior varsity game will be played at 2 p.m.