PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — Junior Brian Gasser (New Philadelphia/Indian Valley) struck out a career-best 10 hitters over seven innings as the #8 Marietta College baseball team cruised past Ohio Wesleyan University 9-0 Monday (March 7) at the Snowbird Classic. [Box Score]

Gasser, who stretched his scoreless streak to 13 innings, scattered three singles and two walks to improve to 2-0 on the spring. Marietta's four starters—Gasser, senior Mark Williams (Fayetteville/Perry), senior Casey Levens (Dayton/Centerville) and junior Austin Blaski (Pandora/Gilboa)—have combined to go 6-1 with 56 strikeouts and a 0.36 ERA in 49 2/3 innings.

Sophomore Luke Langdon (Troy/Troy) and junior Mike Mahaffey (Worthington/Bishop Watterson) both pitched a scoreless inning to preserve the team's third shutout in as many days.

Marietta, offense, meanwhile, continued to roll as it banged out 13 hits and scored runs in six of the eight innings. The Pioneer defense also played well, finishing with just one error in the win.

Junior second baseman Kirby Becker (South Euclid/St. Ignatius) finished 3-for-5 with a double and two runs scored. Senior left fielder Britt Meador (Columbus/Worthington Kilbourne) went 2-for-2 and classmate center fielder John Snyder (Altoona, Pa./Altoona) was 2-for-4 with a double. Both drove in a pair of runs and improved their hitting streak to seven games.

Meador drove in Becker for the first run of the game with a single in the bottom of the first.

Becker also scored the second run on a Snyder sacrifice fly in the third.

A triple by Levens brought in sophomore third baseman Evan Brockmeier (Marietta/Marietta) and a sacrifice fly by sophomore catcher Alex Toth (Painesville/Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin) plated Levens to give the Pioneers a 4-0 advantage after four frames.

In the fifth, sophomore designated hitter Braden Park (Oxford/Talawanda) picked up the RBI when Meador scored on a ground out.

A single by junior shortstop Tim Saunders (Alliance/Alliance) drove in Levens and a Meador sacrifice fly plated Saunders in the sixth.

The Etta Express capped its scoring in the eighth when sophomore left fielder Jordan Grilliot (Brookville/Northmont) singled home junior pinch hitter Niko Stanislav (Olmsted Falls/Berea) and then Snyder drove in Grilliot with a double.

Marietta is back in action at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday (March 8) when its battle Bluffton University on day four of the Snowbird Classic. WMOA-AM 1490 will carry the game live locally and online at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/wmoa-live.