#14 Marietta splits doubleheader at John Carroll
Etta Express falls 5-3 in opener but wins wild nightcap 15-13

April 4, 2009
UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio — The Marietta College baseball team rallied in the ninth inning to prevent host John Carroll University from sweeping an Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) doubleheader on Saturday (April 4). In the opener, the Pioneers dug themselves another early hole and could not recover as they fell 5-3. Marietta then out slugged John Carroll in the nightcap 15-13.

The Etta Express, ranked #14 in the latest ABCA/Collegiate Baseball Poll and #15 in the most recent NBCWA/D3baseball.com Poll, moved to 14-6, 5-1 in league play. The Blue Streaks are now 14-6, 3-3 in the OAC.

Marietta, like it had done in Thursday's loss to Ohio Wesleyan, allowed John Carroll to score five runs in the first inning. The Blue Streaks collected three hits and were aided by two errors in the frame.

The Pioneers plated a pair of runs in the third to pull within striking distance, 5-2. Junior Dan Jones (Lima/Shawnee) singled and scored on a double by sophomore Jordan Thompson (Quaker City/Buckeye Trail). Senior Justin Merryman (New Philadelphia) then drove in Thompson with a single to left field. Marietta scored its third run when John Carroll pitching loaded the bases and then walked in a run in the fifth. The Pioneers threatened in their last at-bat but left the bases loaded and the Blue Streaks held on for the 5-3 win.

Senior T.J. Knowlton (Greenwich/Mapleton) suffered his first loss of the season after allowing five runs (four earned) on five hits in six frames. Knowlton (2-1) allowed just two hits after the first inning and struck out five.

Thompson and Merryman both had two of Marietta's five hits. The Pioneers' defense made six errors in the loss.

Fans witnessed Marietta plate 15 runs on 18 hits and make three errors and John Carroll score 13 runs and 19 hits and make five errors in the nightcap.

The Etta Express led 2-0 after the top of the first. Sophomore John Snyder (Altoona, Pa.) drove in the first run with a single through the right side to plate Thompson. Sophomore Chris Dowdell (North Ridgeville/Walsh Jesuit) then picked up his first RBI of the season, driving in senior Cameron Cimino (Boardman). Both Thompson and Cimino singled earlier in the frame.

John Carroll tied the game in the second inning and then took a 4-2 lead in the third against freshman starter Brian Gasser (New Philadelphia/Indian Valley), who gave up four runs on nine hits in just three innings.

Cimino and junior Matt DeSico (Euclid) had a RBI singles and Snyder produced a two-run double to help the Pioneers regain the lead 6-4 in the top of the fourth. The Blue Streaks, however, knotted the game back up at 6-6 in the bottom of the frame.

Marietta responded with two more runs in the fifth. Jones doubled and scored on a wild pitch, while freshman Tim Saunders (Alliance) singled and scored on a Thompson RBI ground out. John Carroll scraped another run across in the sixth, before Marietta added its ninth of the game in the seventh, giving it a 9-7 lead.

John Carroll used a three-run eighth to reclaim the advantage 10-9. Marietta, however, fought back with six runs in the top of the ninth to take a 15-10 lead. Merryman had a two-run single, and Cimino drove in the third run with another hit. Thompson then scored on a balk while two more runs crossed the plate on an error.

The Blue Streaks would not go quietly, as they scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth. Merryman then entered to get the final three outs and earn his fourth save of the season.

Sophomore Mark Williams (Fayetteville/Perry) picked up the win despite allowing three runs on two hits in 1/3 of an inning. Senior Jason Baumler (Crownsville, Md./Old Mill) and junior Tyler Penwell (Washington Court House) both gave up three runs on four hits in three innings and 1 2/3 innings, respectively.

Three Pioneers—Cimino, Snyder, and DeSico—had three hits, while Merryman, Thompson, and Saunders added two in the win. Seven Blue Streaks had multiple hits in the loss.

Marietta now turns its attention to Mount Union College. The Purple Raiders are tied with the Pioneers atop the OAC standings and will host the Etta Express on Wednesday (April 8) afternoon. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. Fans can listen to the game on WMOA-AM 1490 and online at http://pioneers.marietta.edu/onlinebroadcasts.html.