No. 19 Marietta sweeps Ohio Northern on the road
Etta Express win 7-2 and 8-3 to remain in second place in the OAC

Apr. 29, 2006
ADA, Ohio — Solid outings from Marietta College freshman pitchers Ryan Dennick (North Olmsted) and Jason Baumler (Crownsville, Md./Old Mill) sparked the Pioneers to a doubleheader sweep of host Ohio Northern, 7-2 and 8-3, Saturday (Apr. 29) afternoon.

With the two wins, Marietta has now won five straight and improved to 26-8 on the year. The Pioneers also kept sole possession of second place in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) by increasing its league record to 11-3. Ohio Northern fell to 5-29 overall and 1-13 in the OAC.

Dennick, the game-one starter, scattered just four hits in the complete-game victory to improve to 5-1 on the year. The right-hander struck out 10 and allowed just one earned run in the win.

Junior leadoff hitter Ryan Belanger (Coldwater, Mich.) had a big day at the plate, finishing 4-for-4 with a double, triple, three runs scored and three RBI. In addition, senior Jarrod Klausman (Altoona, Pa.) went 2-for-3 with a run scored and two RBI and senior Chris Hendricks (Little Hocking/Warren Local) went 2-for-4 with a run scored in the win.

Marietta, who finished with 13 hits in the win, took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, before breaking the game open with a five-run second. The Pioneers scored their final run in the fourth. Ohio Northern scored single runs in the fourth and fifth innings, but could not compile much of a threat against Dennick.

Baumler followed Dennick's performance with a complete game victory of his own in the nightcap. The right-hander, who improved to 6-2 on the year, allowed just three runs (one earned) on five hits and struck out five.

Marietta's offense finished with nine hits in the nightcap.

Freshman Josh Beebe (Fleming/Warren Local) went 2-for-2 with three RBI, while seniors Justin Steranka (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Lebanon) and Lee Guerrera (Wolcott, Conn.) each had a pair of hits and scored two runs. Guerrera also added two RBI in the win.

Again, the Pioneers took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Marietta added another run in the fourth, when sophomore Tom Doty (Mentor), who went 1-for-2, hit his first home run of the year. The Polar Bears took a brief 3-2 lead in the fifth, when pitcher Josh Conkey hit a three-run home run. The Etta Express, however, regained the lead, 5-3, with a three-run sixth and added three more insurance runs in the seventh frame en route to the 8-3 victory.

Marietta returns to action Wednesday (May 3), when it travels to Alliance, Ohio, for a doubleheader with third place Mount Union. The Purple Raiders improved to 22-11 overall and 10-4 in the OAC with a sweep of Muskingum Saturday. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.