Pitching leads Marietta past Shawnee State 9-2
Etta Express reaches 20-win plateau for 39th straight season

April 23, 2009
MARIETTA, Ohio — A strong effort from its pitching staff led the Marietta College baseball team to a 9-2 non-conference win over NAIA visiting foe Shawnee State University Thursday (April 23) night at Don Schaly Stadium. The Etta Express used five arms in the victory, which improved its record to 20-10 on the season. It marks the 39th straight year that the four-time national champions have won at least 20 games in a spring. The Bears fell to 21-26.

Marietta’s senior ace T.J. Knowlton (Greenwich/Mapleton) got the start and worked two scoreless innings, allowing just one hit with one strikeout.

Shawnee State, however, was the first to strike. The Bears scored a run on two hits in the fourth against freshman reliever Brian Gasser (New Philadelphia/Indian Valley). Gasser gave up just the one run on three hits and fanned one in his two frames of action.

Marietta tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth. Freshman Tim Saunders (Alliance) hit a one-out single. He advanced to third on a shot up the middle by freshman Niko Stanislav (Olmsted Falls/Berea), the first hit of his collegiate career. Saunders then scored on a wild pitch.

The Bears regained the lead 2-1 in their next at-bat on a double and then two ground ball outs against senior Jason Baumler (Crownsville, Md./Old Mill). Baumler worked two innings and allowed the one run on two hits.

Again, the Pioneers knotted the score with a run in bottom of the inning. Senior Cameron Cimino (Boardman) walked and later crossed the plate on a RBI ground out by junior Matt DeSico (Euclid).

Marietta, who out hit Shawnee State 13-7, claimed its first lead of the game on a solo home run from Cimino, his ninth of the year, in the seventh. The Pioneers then batted around and exploded for six runs in the eighth to take complete control. Senior Brennan Cribbins (Middleburg Heights/Midpark) began the inning with a solo home run, his second of the year. Cimino, junior Chris Beatty (Seven Hills, Pa./Hampton), sophomore Casey Levens (Dayton/Centerville) and DeSico all added RBI in the scoring run.

Sophomore Mark Williams (Fayetteville/Perry) worked a scoreless seventh and eighth to earn the win and improve to 2-2. He allowed just one hit and struck out four. Levens worked a perfect ninth to secure the win.

Junior Dan Jones (Lima/Shawnee) handled the pitching staff from behind the plate and had its best offensive outing of the year. He finished 3-for-4, while Thompson and Cimino both added a pair of hits in the win.

Marietta is back in action on Friday (April 24) when its kicks off a busy Alumni Weekend with a junior varsity/varsity doubleheader with rival Muskingum College. The non-conference varsity game is slated for 7 p.m. On Saturday (April 25), the Pioneers will play host to Baldwin-Wallace College for an OAC twinbill at 12 p.m. The Etta Express has also scheduled a single, nine-inning game with visiting Denison University for Sunday (April 26) at 6 p.m. Fans can listen to all the games on WMOA-AM 1490 and online at http://pioneers.marietta.edu/onlinebroadcasts.html. Live stats of the home games will be available at http://pioneers.marietta.edu/livestats/xlive.htm.