TIFFIN, Ohio — Marietta College is back in the championship game of the Ohio Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament for the first time since 2012. But, in order to claim their 30th OAC Tournament title, the Pioneers will have to beat No. 9 ranked and top-seeded Heidelberg University twice.
Marietta and Heidelberg squared off in the winner's bracket Friday (May 8) morning with the Student Princes claiming an 8-6 victory. The Pioneers bounced back to beat John Carroll University in an elimination game by the score of 9-8 on a walk-off RBI single from
Christian Demko (Xenia/Bellbrook) Friday afternoon.
Senior
Mike Fulton (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn Hills) (2-2) retired 12 of the 13 John Carroll hitters he faced allowing the Pioneer offense to earn the come from behind victory. Prior to Fulton taking over on the mound, the Blue Streaks had scored eight runs on 12 base hits and were leading 8-3. Fulton slammed the door shut for his second win of the season. He worked 4.0 scoreless innings and struck out one.
John Carroll roughed up three Pioneer pitchers and scored in five of the first six innings.
Tyler Nieberding (Cincinnati/Elder) started and allowed two runs on four hits in 2.0 innings of work.
Ian Luttrell (River Forest, Ill./Oak Park River Forest) was touched up for three runs in 0.2 innings, while
David Stover (Pittsburgh, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) gave up three runs on five hits in 2.1 innings.
Trailing 2-0,
Chris Winpigler (Frederick, Md./Tuscarora) led off the third inning with a triple and scored when
Tyler Packanik (Plant City, Fla./Newsome) reached on an error.
Brandon Papp (Uniontown/Green) delivered a run-scoring triple and Demko plated another with a double to give the Pioneers a 3-2 lead.
It was short lived as John Carroll scored three times in the fourth. The Blue Streaks added two more in the sixth extending the lead to 8-3.
Marietta scored in each of the last four innings. Winpigler delivered a huge two-run, two-out single in the eighth to knot the game, 8-8, and set up Demko's ninth-inning heroics.
Chris Petrucci (Farmington, W.Va./Notre Dame) worked a full count walk to lead off the ninth. After failing to get the sac bunt down,
Michael Barnabei (Pickerington/Pickerington Central) hit a line drive off the pitcher's leg. Drew Vargo was able to recover in time to retire Barnabei at first, but Petrucci moved into scoring position.
Freshman Jake Servidio took over on the mound for Vargo and got
Doug Bennett (New Castle, Pa./Shenango) to ground out to the first baseman. Petrucci moved over to third on the play as Demko stepped to the plate. With two outs and a 1-2 count, Demko hit a high chopper just up the third baseline and beat the throw to first for the game-winning base hit.
Vargo (0-2) took the loss. Vargo worked 0.2 innings and allowed the one run on one hit. Junior Brandon Maddern started on the mound for JCU and tossed 6.1 innings. He gave up six runs on eight hits with two walks and five strikeouts.
Winpigler went 2-for-4 with a triple, two RBI and a run scored. Papp had two hits including a triple, while Demko notched a pair of hits, one double and two RBI. Packanik chipped in with two singles and two RBI.
In the morning game against Heidelberg, the big blow was a two-run home run off the bat of junior Derek Hug in the bottom of the eighth inning to break a 6-6 deadlock.
The teams traded the lead several times in the game. Marietta scored twice in the second only to see the Student Princes answer with two in the third. The Pioneers reclaimed the lead with a three-spot in the fourth. Once again, Heidelberg responded plating three in the fifth.
Mitch McNabb (Grove City/Bishop Ready) (1-2) was tagged with the loss. McNabb worked 1.2 innings and gave up the Hug home run.
Tommy Crowl (Cincinnati/Summit Country Day) started and threw 5.0 innings. Crowl allowed six runs on 10 hits with three walks and two strikeouts. Stover and
Matt Yates (Miamisburg/Miamisburg) also threw in relief.
Adam Manner started for the Student Princes and gave up six runs on 11 hits in 7.0 innings of work. Sam Ankrom (5-2) tossed 2.0 scoreless innings for the win.
Sophomore
Eric White (North Royalton/North Royalton) led the Pioneer offense going 3-for-3 with an RBI. Demko finished 3-for-5, while Winpigler and Bennett each had two hits.
With rain in the forecast, the first pitch between Marietta and Heidelberg on Saturday (May 9) is set for 10:00 a.m.
Fans can follow the Etta Express all season long at
pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at
facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on Twitter and Instagram.
