March 23, 2008
MARIETTA, Ohio — The Marietta College baseball team entered Sunday (March 23) afternoon’s Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) match-up with visiting Heidelberg College looking to get back on track after a tough first few weeks on the road. The Etta Express was able to do just that by sweeping the Student Princes, 3-2 and 10-6, in its home opener at Don Schaly Stadium. With the wins, ninth-ranked Marietta improved to 4-9, 2-0 in the OAC. Heidelberg fell to 9-4, 0-2 in league play.

In the opener, junior T.J. Knowlton (Greenwich/Mapleton) threw a complete game to improve to 3-1 on the season. He scattered eight hits and one walk while striking out five in the 3-2 victory. David Paddock suffered the loss to fall to 1-2. He gave up three runs (two earned) on four hits, walked one and fanned three in 5 2/3 innings.

Heidelberg broke a scoreless tie with a run in the third when Steve Decker led off with an infield single and later scored on a RBI double to left center by Matt Grassley. A RBI single by Decker plated Tony Pawlowicz and enabled the Student Princes to extend their lead to 2-0 in the fourth.

Senior Dom Winters (Washington, Pa.) slugged a home run over the left field fence in the bottom of the fifth to bring Marietta within a run, 2-1. The Etta Express then took the lead for good in the sixth. Freshman Sean Mahley (Cambridge) ignited a two-out rally by being hit by a pitch. Junior Justin Merryman (New Philadelphia) then doubled to center field and moved to third on the throw as Mahley raced around to score the tying run. The next hitter, junior Cam Cimino (Boardman), followed by reaching on an error, which enabled Merryman to score the winning run.

Winter, Mahley, Merryman and sophomore Tyler Penwell (Washington Court House) had the four hits for the Pioneers. Biagio Boytim (2-for-3) and Decker (2-for-2) combined for four of the Student Princes’ eight hits in the loss.

The Student Princes also took the early lead in the nightcap, plating an unearned run in the top of the first. Marietta quickly tied the game with an earned run of its own in the frame. Winters singled home senior Tony Piconke (Clinton Township, Mich./Clintondale), who reached on an error with one out in the inning.

Marietta batted around and scored three more unearned runs in the third inning to take its first lead of the game. Freshman Tim Petty (Stow/Stow-Munroe Falls) and Mahley both scored when Winters reached on a fielder’s choice; a throwing error allowed Merryman to be safe at second advance to third on the play. He later scored on a single by junior Brennan Cribbins (Middleburg Heights/Midpark) to make the score 4-1.

Heidelberg came right back with three unearned runs in the top of the fourth to tie the game at 4-4. Boytim (single) and Pawlowicz (ground out) had RBI in the inning. The Etta Express answered with back-to-back-to-back two-out doubles by Piconke, Merryman and Cimino to give the Pioneers the 6-4 lead after four innings.

Sophomore Nate Eschbaugh (Marietta) worked the first four innings before junior Chris Stewart (Dublin/Dublin Coffman) replaced him to begin the fifth. Eschbaugh allowed four runs (two earned) on four hits and struck out two in the no decision. Stewart, who earned the win to improve to 1-0, worked three scoreless frames. He allowed one hit and struck out two.

Marietta extended its lead to 7-4 in the fifth when Penwell walked and later scored on an error. The Pioneers added two more runs in the sixth. Merryman opened the frame with a single and Cimino then deposited a pitch over the fence in right center for a two-run homer. The runs were the first earned runs allowed by the Student Princes in the game.

Heidelberg cut into the lead with two runs on four hits off junior Jason Baumler (Crownsville, Md./Old Mill) in the top of the eighth, but Merryman came in from left field to retire two straight with the bases loaded and end the threat to keep Marietta’s lead at three runs, 9-6.

The Pioneers boosted their lead back to four runs, 10-6, when Merryman singled and scored on a fielder’s choice RBI by Winters. Merryman kept the Student Princes off the scoreboard in the ninth to secure the win and pick up his first save of the year.

Marietta out hit Heidelberg 12-10 and overcame three errors. The Student Princes could not overcome six errors in the loss. Merryman finished 3-for-4 with four runs scored, while Winters and Cimino both had two hits in the win. Cimino also added three RBI. Grassley led Heidelberg’s offense with a 3-for-5 performance, while Boytim added two more hits in the game.

Marietta returns to action on Wednesday (March 26) evening when Mideast rival and top-ranked the College of Wooster visits Don Schaly Stadium for a single, nine-inning game at 5 p.m. The action can be heard live locally in Marietta on WMOA-AM 1490 and over the Internet at http://pioneers.marietta.edu/onlinebroadcasts.html.