WOOSTER, Ohio — The Mideast Regions two powers went head-to-head in a thrilling 11-inning battle Wednesday (April 1) afternoon with #4 College of Wooster pulling out the 11-10 victory over visiting #14 Marietta College at Art Murray Field. The Pioneers (13-4) had opportunities to seal the win, but the Fighting Scots (20-3) rallied to extend the game in both the ninth and 10th innings before plating the game-winning run in the bottom of the 11th.
Marietta sophomore John Snyder (Altoona, Pa./Altoona) (Altoona, Pa.) went 3-for-4 with three runs scored, and senior Justin Merryman (New Philadelphia/New Philadelphia) (New Philadelphia) finished 3-for-6 with a pair of RBI. In addition, junior Chris Beatty (Seven Fields, Pa./Hampton) (Seven Fields, Pa./Hampton) added two hits and two RBI in the loss.
Matthew Pierce and John Warren went 3-for-4 and 3-for-5, respectively, while Stu Beath added two hits and four RBI for Wooster in the win.
Both teams finished with 14 hits in the game. Wooster overcame four errors and left 10 runners on base, while Marietta made two errors and stranded eight runners on base.
The game was locked at 0-0 for the first three innings before Marietta plated a pair of runs in the fourth. Senior Cameron Cimino (Boardman/Boardman) (Boardman) reached on an error and scored the first run on a wild pitch. Junior Tyler Penwell (Washington Court House/Washington Court House) (Washington Court House) drove in the second run with a single, plating Beatty, who followed Cimino with a single.
Wooster answered with a two-run home run by Beath in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game at 2-2.
The Etta Express regained the lead with a four-run fifth. Merryman drove in junior Danny Jones (Lima/Shawnee) and Snyder with a double. Beatty picked up his first RBI of the game with a single, and junior Matt DeSico (Euclid/Euclid) (Euclid) added a RBI on a sacrifice fly in the inning.
The Fighting Scots cut into lead with a run in the sixth. Marietta extended the lead back to four runs with a Beatty sacrifice fly in the seventh. Wooster knotted the game at 7-7 with a four-run bottom of the seventh.
Once again, Marietta went back on top 9-7 in the top of the ninth when senior Brennan Cribbins (Middleburg Heights/Midpark) (Middleburg Heights/Midpark) delivered a two-run single to left center with the bases loaded, scoring Jones, who led off the frame with a double, and Snyder, who walked. Cimino, however, was caught too far off third base on the play to help Wooster get out of the inning after giving up just two runs. The Fighting Scots rallied again to plate a pair of runs in the bottom of the ninth to send the game into extra innings.
The Pioneers took their fourth lead of the game in the top of the 10th when freshman Tim Saunders (Alliance/Alliance) (Alliance) singled and scored on a Snyder double to center field with two outs. Wooster extended the game for the second straight inning with its 10th run of the game in the bottom of the frame. The Fighting Scots then scored the game-winning run with a two-out single up the middle to steal the 11-10 victory.
Sophomore Dave Van Voorhees (Bethesda, Md./Bullis) (Bethesda, Md./Bullis) took the loss, falling to 2-1. He allowed one run on two hits in 2/3 of an inning. Sophomore Mark Williams (Fayetteville/Perry) (Fayetteville/Perry) got the start and scattered six runs on four hits in 6 1/3 frames. He walked four and struck out six during his time on the mound. Junior Nate Eschbaugh (Marietta/Marietta) (Marietta) got the final two outs of the seventh and allowed one run on two hits. Penwell worked a scoreless eighth. Merryman threw the ninth and 10th and gave up three runs on five hits.
Tanner Hall (1-1) earned the win after pitching the final 1 1/3 innings. Marietta tagged starter Matt DeGrand for six runs (five earned) on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings. He did strike out seven of the 14 Pioneers that went down on strikes in the game.
Marietta will look to bounce back against another Mideast rival when the Pioneers visit Ohio Wesleyan University on Thursday (April 2). First pitch of the nine-inning game is slated for 4 p.m. Fans can listen to the game locally on WMOA-AM 1490 and online at http://pioneers.marietta.edu/onlinebroadcasts.html.
