UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio — #11 Marietta College baseball snapped its four game losing streak with a 6-3 victory in game two after host John Carroll University won the opener 8-1 in Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) baseball action Wednesday (April 28) afternoon. [Game 1 Box Score] [Game 2 Box Score]

The Pioneers (25-9, 9-5 OAC) and the Blue Streaks (21-12, 9-5 OAC) entered the day locked in a three-way tie with Otterbein College for second place in the league standings, one game back of first place Heidelberg University. Marietta and John Carroll remained tied for second place with four games left on the league slate. The Student Princes, however, increased their advantage to two games with a sweep of the Cardinals, who fell into a three-way tie for fourth place with Ohio Northern University and Muskingum University.

John Carroll gained control of game one in the second inning. The Blue Streaks took advantage of three walks, one error and a balk to score seven runs (four earned) on four hits in the frame. The Blue Streaks then added their eighth run of the game in the third inning.

Marietta plated its lone run in the fourth when freshman left fielder #Aaron Hopper (Wheelersburg/Wheelersburg)#, who finished 2-for-3, delivered a RBI double to drive in junior designated hitter #Britt Meador (Columbus/Worthington Kilbourne)# after he had reached on a one-out single.

John Skomra, Tim O'Brien and Brian Benander all finished with a pair of singles for the Blue Steaks overcame two errors and nine runners left on base. Marietta committed one error and left 10 stranded.

Sophomore #Austin Blaski (Pandora/Gilboa)# was handed the loss after allowing eight runs (five earned) on seven hits in 2 2/3 innings. Blaski (6-3) walked four and struck out three. Freshman #Luke Langdon (Troy/Troy)# worked 3 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of Blaski. He allowed just three hits, walked one and fanned two.

John Moonan (4-1) limited Marietta's bats to just one runs on five hits, walked four and struck out three in five innings to earn the victory. Robbie Bellusci pitched the final two innings and gave up two hits while striking out two.

The Etta Express jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning of game two. Back-to-back one-out doubles from sophomore shortstop #Tim Saunders (Alliance/Alliance)# and junior center fielder #John Snyder (Altoona, Pa./Altoona)# put runners on first and third. Senior designated hitter #Chris Beatty (Seven Fields, Pa./Hampton)# drove in Saunders with the first run with a sacrifice fly. Freshman third baseman #Braden Park (Oxford/Talawanda)# kept the inning alive when he was hit by a pitch. Hopper then delivered a two-run double down the left field line to score Synder and Park.
 
John Carroll tied the game with a run in the second and two more in the fifth against junior starter #Mark Williams (Fayetteville/Perry)#. Williams allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits, walked four and struck out two in 4 2/3 innings.

Sophomore #Brian Gasser (New Philadelphia/Indian Valley)# got out of the jam in the fifth and worked shut down John Carroll for the next 3 1/3 innings to earn the win and improve to 7-1. Gasser, who struck out two, retired 11 of the 12 batters he faced with the only base runner reaching on a hit by pitch.

A two-out RBI single from junior first baseman #Casey Levens (Dayton/Centerville)# broke the 3-3 tie in the top of the sixth. Hopper's second RBI double and Leven's second RBI single helped extend the Pioneers' advantage to 6-3 in the eighth.

Sophomore #Kyle Lindquist (Columbus/Worthington Kilbourne)# pitched a perfect ninth to collect his sixth save of the season. Chris Koller suffered the loss for John Carroll after the reliever allowed three runs on four hits in 2 1/3 innings.

Hopper, who drove in a game-high three runs, joined freshman right fielder #Jordan Grilliot (Brookville/Northmont)#, Snyder, Park, Levens and senior catcher #Dan Jones (Lima/Shawnee)# in collecting two hits in the victory.

Snyder was able to extend his hitting streak to 28 games with a seventh inning single in game one and his two hits in game two. He is now tied with Ken Lisko, who achieved the feat in 1981, for second place on Marietta's all-time list. Dan Geudtner set the OAC and school record with a 33-game hitting streak in 1999.

Marietta is back in action Saturday (May 1) when it visits Otterbein College for another key OAC match-up. First pitch of the doubleheader is slated for 1 p.m. WMOA-AM 1490 will broadcast both games locally and online at http://wmoa1490.com.