March 9, 2008
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Marietta College baseball team opened the 2008 spring trip with its first ever visit to Rhodes College Sunday (March 9) afternoon. The Pioneers fought back from an early 5-0 deficit to tie the game, only for the Lynx to bounce back with five more runs and seal the 10-5 victory at Stauffer Field. The win improved Rhodes’ record to 10-5, while Marietta fell to 1-3.

J.R. Bizzell opened with a first-pitch double to right field to get the Lynx going in the bottom of the first. Merryman retired the next two hitters but the fourth hitter of the game, Brent Lindsey, reached on an error by Tyler Penwell (Washington Court House), keeping the inning alive. Rhodes took advantage with back-to-back singles by Mason Mosby and Matt Beesley, allowing it to take an early 2-0 lead.

Back-to-back two-out doubles by Bizzell and Richard Hurd and then a single from Daniel Vanaman led to the third and fourth runs of the game in the bottom of the second frame.

Junior Justin Merryman (New Philadelphia), who allowed four runs (two earned) on six hits, lasted just two innings. Freshman Casey Levins (Dayton/Centerville) relieved him for one inning and gave up back-to-back bunt singles before a sacrifice bunt advanced runners up to second and third with one out. A RBI ground out to first base from Andy Boucher extended the Lynx lead to 5-0 after three frames.

Marietta began to chip away in the fourth. Freshman Sean Mahley (Cambridge) singled and then freshman Chris Dowdell (North Ridgeville/Walsh Jesuit) doubled to put runners on second and third. Senior Tony Piconke (Clinton Township, Mich./Clintondale) followed with a RBI ground out to the right side, plating Mahley. Flanagan, however, got out of the jam with some help from the Pioneers’ runners, as Dowdell was caught off third base on a fielder’s choice from sophomore Chris Beatty (Seven Fields, Pa//Hampton). Then, Beatty was thrown out attempting to steal second base to end the inning.

Sophomore Joe Pitrone (Highland Heights/Mayfield) took the hill in the fourth and overcame an infield single with two outs to keep Rhodes off the scoreboard for the first time on the afternoon. He also followed it up with a scoreless fifth.

Penwell took over on the mound in the sixth and retired three straight. Flanagan’s day was done after six innings. He scattered one run on four hits with three strikeouts. Jeff Mueller replaced Flanagan.

Brennan Cribbins (Maple Heights/Mayfield) greeted Mueller with a RBI single. After two straight strikeouts, senior Dom Winters (Washington, Pa.) reached on a two-out throwing error by the shortstop to keep the inning alive. Junior pinch hitter Cam Cimino (Boardman) followed with a two-run single to center and sophomore Matt DeSico (Euclid) added another pinch-hit single, which plated Cimino and pulled the Etta Express within a run, 5-4. Mahley kept the rally going with a single to right center, moving pinch runner Kyle Lucot (South Park, Pa.) to third. Charles Simmons was called out of the bullpen to replace Mueller and ended the inning with a strikeout but not before Lucot scored the tying run on a wild pitch.

Junior Jason Baumler (Crownsville, Md./Old Mill) entered the game in the bottom of the fifth looking to keep the score locked at 5-5. He allowed the first two hitters to reach on a hit-by-pitch and a walk, respectively. A wild pitch moved the runners to second and third and an intentional walk loaded the bases with no outs. The Pioneers got the first out on a fielder’s choice when Winters cut down the lead runner at the plate. The Lynx, however, followed with back-to-back a suicide squeezes to regain the lead 7-5. Two more runs crossed the plate on a double by Drew Hubbard to extend Rhodes’ advantage to 9-5 and knock Baumler out of the game. Freshman Mark Williams (Fayetteville) replaced Baumler and walked his first hitter he faced. The Lynx then took advantage of a Dan Jones (Lima/Shawnee) throwing error to score the final run of the game, as it won the game 10-5.

Baumler took the loss to fall to 0-2 on the year. Simmons got the win, his first of the year. Overall, Marietta finished with five runs on nine hits and made two errors. Rhodes scored 10 runs on 12 hits and made one error.

Cribbins and Mahley both had two hits for the Etta Express. Beesley paced the Lynx with a 3-for-4 day at the plate, while Bizzell and Mosby both had two hits in the win.

Marietta is back in action on Monday (March 10) afternoon when it takes on host Hardin-Simmons in Abilene, Texas, at 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The action can be heard live in Marietta on WMOA-AM 1490 and over the Internet at http://pioneers.marietta.edu/onlinebroadcasts.html.