Marietta fends off elimination with 5-2 victory over Rose-Hulman in Mideast Regional
Etta Express will get rematch with Wooster on Sunday at 12 p.m.

May 16, 2009
ADRIAN, Mich. — Facing elimination for the first time in the 2009 NCAA Division III Mideast Regional, Marietta College senior All-Ohio Athletic Conference performers T.J. Knowlton (Greenwich/Mapleton) and Cameron Cimino (Boardman) put the team on their shoulders and led the Etta Express to a 5-2 victory over Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Saturday (May 16) evening at Adrian (Mich.) College.

The win improved the Pioneers’ record to 31-16, while the Fightin’ Engineers finished the year 32-14. Third-seeded Marietta will get a rematch with the second-seeded College of Wooster on Sunday (May 17) at 12 p.m. The Fighting Scots are the lone unbeaten team after knocking the Pioneers from the unbeaten ranks with a 13-3 victory on Saturday afternoon.

Knowlton scattered two runs on six hits over seven innings. The right-hander struck out four and did not walk an Engineer in the victory, which improved his record to 4-1 on the spring. Cimino, meanwhile, finished a perfect 3-for-3 with a home run, a double, two runs scored and one RBI in the game, which saw the Etta Express out hit the Engineers 12-6.

Bats were quiet for the first three innings, before Marietta produced three runs on four hits in the fourth. Freshman Kirby Becker (South Euclid/St. Ignatius), Cimino and junior All-OAC honoree Chris Beatty (Seven Fields, Pa./Hampton) loaded the bases with three straight singles. Sophomore All-OAC award winner Casey Levens (Dayton/Centerville) drove in Becker with the first run while reaching on a fielder’s choice. A RBI ground out by senior Brennan Cribbins (Middleburg Heights/Midpark) plated Cimino. Freshman Tim Saunders (Alliance) then drove in Levens with a bunt single to give the Etta Express the 3-0 lead.

The Etta Express extended its lead to 4-0 in the fifth. Sophomore John Snyder (Altoona, Pa.), who finished 2-for-5, opened the frame with a single. Becker moved him to second with a sacrifice bunt. A walk to Cimino put runners on first and third. Marietta then successfully executed a double steal; Snyder scored on the play.

Marietta got back on the board in the seventh. Cimino led off the inning with his 11th home run of the spring, a solo shot to right field, which increased the Pioneers’ advantage to 5-0.

Rose-Hulman finally pushed across a pair of runs against Knowlton in the seventh. Michael Kovacs and Troy Eveslage produced back-to-back RBI plate appearances. Kovacs drove in a run with a ground out, while Eveslage singled home the other.

Sophomore Mark Williams (Fayetteville/Perry) relieved Knowlton in the eighth and closed the door with two shutout innings, striking out five, to earn his first save of the year.

Nick Maloney suffered the loss for Rose-Hulman. He allowed five runs (four earned) on 11 hits and fanned five in 8 2/3 innings. Tim Tepe and Keenan Long both had two hits in the loss for the Engineers.

Marietta fans can listen to all of the Pioneer's Mideast Regional action on WMOA-AM 1490 and online at http://pioneers.marietta.edu/onlinebroadcasts.html.Live statistics of all the games will also be available at http://www.adrian.edu/sports/livestats/xlive.htm.