National Champion Marietta College begins title defense with a 9-1 route of Hope in first game at NCAA Division III Mideast Regional
Etta Express advances to take on rival Otterbein Thursday at 7 p.m.

May 16, 2007
STRONGSVILLE, Ohio – Sophomore Justin Merryman (New Philadelphia) and junior Tom Doty (Mentor) made sure that the National Champion Marietta College baseball team opened the 2007 NCAA Division III Mideast Regional with a win Wednesday (May 16) night at Mills Field. The duo led the No. 18 Etta Express, who earned an at-large bid to post-season play for the second straight year, to a 9-1 victory over Hope College, the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) regular season champion from Holland, Michigan. The game was originally slated to start at 7 p.m. but rain pushed the first pitch back to 8:40 p.m.

With the victory, Marietta, who has now won six straight NCAA Tournament games dating back to last season, improves to 29-14, while Hope falls to 28-12.

Merryman limited the Flying Dutchmen's bats, which entered hitting .323, to just one run on seven hits in the complete game victory to improve to 8-3 on the season. The left-hander walked four and struck out seven in the win.

Doty, the 2006 Mideast Regional MVP, picked up right where he left off last year by clubbing a pair of home runs and finishing the night 2-for-5 with five RBI. Doty had plenty of help, as Marietta collected nine hits and took advantage of two Hope errors in the game.

Sophomore Cameron Cimino (Boardman) opened the top of the first by drawing a walk. Senior Ryan Eschbaugh (Marietta) then reached on a bunt single. Doty followed with a three-run home run to right center field to give the Etta Express a 3-0 lead.

Merryman walked Matt Sattler, Hope’s leadoff batter, in the bottom of the first, and Sattler later scored on a single through the right side by Brian Baker to make it 3-1.

The Pioneers got the run back in the third. Eschbaugh walked to start the inning. Two batters later, Doty reached on a fielder’s choice. Eschbaugh was safe at second when the throw from the third baseman hit the field umpire. A ground out by senior Joe Litke (Windsor, Conn.) moved the runners to second and third. Eschbaugh scored during the next at-bat on a wild pitch to give Marietta a 4-1 advantage.

The Etta Express added to their lead with a three-run fourth. Freshmen Jeremy Reese (Massillon/Washington) and Danny Jones (Lima/Shawnee) had back-to-back singles to begin the frame. A sacrifice bunt by freshman Kristian DeJeet (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional) advanced both runners. Reese scored on a Cimino ground out. Jones crossed the plate on an Eschbaugh single. Eschbaugh then stole second and scored when Tony Piconke reached on an error.

Doty was back at it in the top of the ninth, drilling a two-out curve ball over the left field fence for his second home run of the night and fifth of the spring. Piconke, who reached on a fielder’s choice, scored on the play, giving Marietta a 9-1 lead.

Mike Rodgers started for Hope and took the loss to fall to 7-3. The right-hander allowed seven runs (six earned) on seven hits while walking four and striking out six in six innings. Robby Poll, who fanned one, followed with two scoreless innings. Kurt DeHorn worked the final frame, allowing two runs on two hits while walking one.

Eschbaugh (2-for-3) and Reese (2-for-4) both finished with a pair of hits; Eschbaugh also scored three runs in the game. Sattler and Bill Lutke added two hits apiece for Hope.

In other action at Mills Field, top-seeded Wooster opened the tournament with a 2-1 victory over sixth-seeded Mount St. Joseph. Second-seeded Otterbein then topped fifth-seeded Ohio Wesleyan, 9-4.

Game one on Thursday (May 17) will pit Mount St. Joseph against Ohio Wesleyan in the first elimination game of the tournament at 12 p.m. Wooster will then take on Hope at 3:30 p.m., before Marietta renews its rivalry with Otterbein under the lights at 7 p.m.

The Etta Express' game can be heard live locally in Marietta on WMOA-AM 1490 and all over the world online at http://pioneers.marietta.edu/onlinebroadcasts.html. Live statistics are also available on the tournament web site by visiting http://athletics.wooster.edu/base/news/2007/regional/default.php.