MARIETTA, Ohio — The #7 Etta Express continued to stay on top of the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) standings with 6-3 and 14-0 victories over visiting Capital University Tuesday (April 13) evening at Don Schaly Stadium. Marietta College improved it record to 23-5 overall and 7-1 in the league. The Crusaders fell to 7-15, 0-6 in the OAC. [Game 1 Box Score] [Game 2 Box Score]

Marietta once again piled up the offensive numbers, finishing with 20 runs on 30 hits in the doubleheader sweep. The Pioneers also received two more outstanding efforts from their starting pitchers, who allowed just one earned run on 10 hits over their 12 2/3 innings of action Tuesday.

Marietta out hit Capital 10-8 in the opener, which saw the Crusaders commit two errors and the Pioneers one.

Freshman third baseman Braden Park (Oxford, Talawanda) finished with a team-high three hits in four at-bats, junior first baseman Casey Levens (Dayton, Centerville) had two hits and drove in four of the team's six runs and freshman right fielder Jordan Grilliot (Brookville, Northmont) also added two hits in the win.

James Oldfield had three hits for Capital, while teammate Patrick Jackson was 2-for-3 in the loss.

Sophomore starter Brian Gasser (New Philadelphia, Indian Valley) scattered three runs (one earned) on eight hits and struck out four over 6 2/3 innings to improve to a team-best 6-0 on the season.

Marty Brinker worked the first four innings for Capital. He allowed three runs on five hits, walked four, hit two and struck out one in the loss, which dropped his record to 0-4.

Capital struck first with a solo home run from John Rowan in the top of the second. Marietta answered with a RBI single by senior catcher Dan Jones (Lima, Shawnee) in the bottom of the frame. Levens gave the Pioneers a 3-1 advantage with a two-run double in the third and then hit a two-run single in the fifth to help them extend the lead to 5-1. Marietta plated its final run on a single through the left side by Park. The Crusaders pushed across two unearned runs in the seventh, but sophomore Kyle Lindquist (Columbus, Worthington Kilbourne) came in an closed the door with a strikeout to earn his fourth save of the spring.

Marietta finished with 20 hits and overcame one error, while Capital had five hits and committed five errors in the nightcap.

Sophomore Mike Mahaffey (Worthington, Bishop Watterson) struck out a career-high 10 and allowed just two hits while walking one over his six innings to earn the victory and improve to 2-0 on the season. Sophomore Logan Lewis (Nashport, Tri Valley) worked a perfect seventh innings, while senior Nate Eschbaugh (Marietta, Marietta) scattered three hits and struck out one in his season debut, which lasted the final two frames.

Garret Griffin took the loss, falling to 0-3. He allowed seven runs (six earned) on 11 hits in four innings.

Eight of nine Pioneer starters had a hit in the victory. Becker led the way by going 4-for-5 with two RBI, raising his batting average to a team-best .435. Senior catcher Chris Beatty (Seven Fields, Pa., Hampton), the reigning OAC HItter of the Week, had three hits, while Grilliot, Park, Levens and junior center fielder John Snyder (Altoona, Pa., Altoona), who now has a 21-game hitting streak, all finished with two hits, while junior designated hitter Britt Meador (Columbus, Worthington Kilbourne) drove in a game-high four in the win.

Meador drew a bases loaded walk to get Marietta's scoring started in the first inning. The Pioneers then erupted for six runs in the fourth. Sophomore Tim Saunders (Alliance, Alliance) picked up the first RBI with a sacrifice fly. Beatty drove in the second run with a single to right center. Meador then plated three more with a double to left. Levens had a single to bring in the sixth run of the frame. The Pioneers continued their scoring with two runs in the sixth. Becker and freshman Aaron Hopper (Wheelersburg, Wheelersburg) both had RBI in the frame. Marietta then scored five more runs in the seventh to extend its advantage to 14-0. Becker began the scoring with his fourth hit and and second RBI. Hopper then doubled home a pair. The final two runs came across on a throwing error.

Marietta returns to the field Thursday (April 15) evening when its takes on Ohio Wesleyan University at 5 p.m. First pitch at Don Schaly Stadium is slated for 4 p.m. Fans can listen locally on WMOA-AM 1490. The broadcast can also be heard online at http://wmoa1490.com. Live, pitch-by-pitch statistics can also be tracked online at http://www.marietta.edu/athletics/livestats/xlive.htm.