Marietta splits OAC twinbill with visiting John Carroll
Pioneers win game one 1-0 but fall in game two 10-1

April 5, 2008
MARIETTA, Ohio — Junior right-hander T.J. Knowlton (Greenwich/Mapleton) pitched his third straight complete game, a three-hit gem, to lead the Marietta College baseball team to a 1-0 victory over visiting John Carroll University in game one Saturday (April 5) afternoon at Don Schaly Stadium. The Blue Streaks, however, bounced back with a 10-1 win in game two to salvage the split. Marietta moved to 8-13 overall and 5-1 in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC). John Carroll improved to 13-6, 4-2 in league play.

Knowlton, who improved to 5-1, retired the first six hitters before allowing harmless singles in the third, fourth and fifth frames. Only one Blue Streak reached second base in the game, which lasted just 92 minutes. Knowlton walked one and fanned four.

Paul O’Donnell (3-1) was the tough-luck loser. He allowed one run on four hits in five-plus innings. O’Donnell walked three and struck out three. Brandon Kurtz came into get the final three outs for John Carroll.

Marietta scored its only run in the fourth. Junior Justin Merryman (New Philadelphia) led off with a walk and then stole second. Junior Cameron Cimino (Boardman) followed with another walk to put runners on first and second with no outs. Senior Dom Winters (Washington, Pa.) then came through with a run-scoring single up the middle, plating Merryman.

John Carroll jumped out to an early lead in the second game against Merryman, scoring eight runs on eight hits in three-plus innings. The Blue Streaks plated two in the first and one in the second before exploding for five in the fourth to knock the left-hander out of the game. Sophomore Joe Pitrone (Highland Heights/Mayfield) relieved Merryman and added to the damage with a throwing error that allowed two of the runs to score. Sophomore catcher Danny Jones (Lima/Shawnee) finally put an end to the inning by picking off a runner and throwing out another trying to steal, both at second base.

A solo home run by Adam Sockel extended John Carroll’s lead to 9-0 after five innings. It was Sockel’s team-leading fourth of the year.

Marietta finally got on the board in the sixth. Senior Tony Piconke (Clinton Township, Mich./Clintondale) led off with a walk. Cimino then doubled to right field with one out, moving Piconke to third. Freshman Casey Levens (Dayton/Centerville) came through with a two-out single to drive in Piconke and make the score 9-1 after six innings.

The Blue Streaks added their tenth and final run in the eighth off sophomore Mark Jackson (Warren/Champion).

Tony Evanko (4-0) earned the win after allowing one run on five hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out one. Merryman (1-3) took the loss. Marietta freshman Craig McGee (Goffstown, N.H.) saw his first varsity action and threw a scoreless ninth.

Cimino finished with two of Marietta’s seven hits in the loss. John Carroll collected 14 hits in the win. Blue Streaks Ryan Lewis and Christopher Cairo both went 3-for-5 in the game.

Marietta is back in action on Sunday when it takes on Wittenberg in a junior varsity/varsity doubleheader. First pitch of the JV game will be at 1 p.m., while the varsity game will began at 4 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.