No. 26 Etta Express sweeps John Carroll in front of an Alumni Weekend crowd
Pioneers finish OAC schedule at 15-3

May. 6, 2006
MARIETTA, Ohio — The No. 26 Marietta College baseball team wrapped up its Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) schedule Saturday (May 6) with a doubleheader against rival John Carroll on Alumni Weekend. The Pioneers, who were looking to keep the heat on first-place Otterbein, took care of business in game one with a 5-2 victory in the last game played at Pioneer Park.

Between games, Pioneer Park was officially changed to Don Schaly Stadium in a ceremony that paid tribute to the late, legendary Pioneer head coach Don Schaly. Marietta did its part to make the day memorable by completing the sweep with an 8-2 victory in the nightcap.

The Etta Express improved to 30-8 on the year and finished OAC play at 15-3. John Carroll fell to 21-17 overall and 8-10 in league play.

Marietta will be seeded second in next week's OAC Tournament. Otterbein, who swept Ohio Northern Saturday, will be the top seed and host the weekend's festivities. Mount Union and Heidelberg will join Marietta and Otterbein in Westerville. However, their seeds and thus the match-ups are dependent upon the outcome of the second game of their doubleheader Saturday. The winner will take on Marietta at 1 p.m. on Thursday (May 11), while the loser will battle Otterbein at 4 p.m.

In game one, Marietta fell behind 1-0 in the second innings, when John Carroll plated a run off starter Ryan Dennick (North Olmsted).

The Pioneers got on the board in their half of the second frame. Senior Justin Steranka (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Lebanon) led off with a single and junior Joe Litke (Windsor, Conn.) followed with a walk. Senior Lee Guerrera (Wolcott, Conn.) then sacrificed both runs over with a bunt. Sophomore Tom Doty (Mentor) was first to come through; he singled home Steranka. Sophomore Tony Piconke (Clinton, Mich./Clintondale) followed with a RBI triple to score Litke with the go-ahead run.

John Carroll tied the game with a run in the fourth, when Dennick walked in a run with the base loaded. Further damage, however, was prevented thanks to an inning-ending 1-2-3 double play.

Marietta regained the advantage for good with a three-run sixth inning. Litke, Guerrera and Doty each had RBI in the rally.

Dennick retired the side in order in the top of the seventh to secure the victory. He finished with six strikeouts and improved to 6-1 with the complete-game, six-hitter. Matthew McKinnon suffered the loss for the Blue Streak, falling to 5-3 on the year.

The Pioneer bats struck for 10 runs in the game. Doty finished 3-for-3 with two RBI. Litke added a pair of hits and scored two runs in the win.

Freshman Jason Baumler (Crownsville, Md./Old Mill) got the start in the first ever game played at Don Schaly Stadium. Schaly would have been proud of his performance, as he scattered two runs (one earned) on six hits en route to a complete-game victory. With the win, Baumler improved to 7-2 on the year.

Marietta took a 1-0 lead in the second inning, when a Piconke sacrifice fly allowed Litke, who walked to open the frame, to score.

John Carroll tied it at 1-1 with an unearned run in the top of the third and took a brief lead, 2-1, with a run in the fourth.

The Pioneers, however, exploded for a seven-run fourth inning to roll to the 8-2 win. Marietta had seven hits in the rally with Piconke (2), Ryan Belanger (Coldwater, Mich.), Jarrod Klausman (Altoona, Pa.) (2), Steranka, and Litke all delivering RBI hits.

Marietta finished with 10 hits overall in the game. Belanger (2-for-4), Litke (2-for-2) and Doty (2-for-3) all had multiple hit games.

Marietta returns to action tomorrow (May 7), when it takes on Pitt-Bradford (Pa.) in a doubleheader at Don Schaly Stadium. First pitch of the regular season finale is slated for 1 p.m.