MARIETTA, Ohio — Junior #Austin Blaski (Pandora/Gilboa)# fired a two-hit shutout to lead No. 1 Marietta College into the 2011 Ohio Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament Championship Game with a 4-0 victory over rival No. 9 Heidelberg University Friday (May 13) afternoon at Don Schaly Stadium. [Box Score]

The top-seeded Etta Express, winners up 13 straight, improved to a nation's best 37-3 and awaits the survivor of the loser's bracket. The OAC title game is slated for 1 p.m. Saturday (May 14). The second-seeded Student Princes (32-10) will face the winner of third-seeded University of Mount Union and fourth-seeded John Carroll University at 7 p.m. Friday.

Blaski, the 2010 Kent Tekulve OAC Pitcher of the Year, overcame four walks and struck out three to improve to 9-2. Sylvester Nino (5-3) took the loss after allowing four runs on five hits in six and one-third innings. He walked five and fanned four.

Junior #Tim Saunders (Alliance/Alliance)# drove in the first run of the game with a RBI double, and sophomore #Aaron Hopper (Wheelersburg/Wheelersburg)# added another double to plate two more in the Pioneers' initial at-bat.

Junior #Kirby Becker (South Euclid/St. Ignatius)# extended Marietta's lead to 4-0 with a single in the second.

Staked to a four-run advantage, Blaski carried a no-hitter into the sixth. A two-out double from Jason Lash gave Heidelberg its first hit. The Student Princes did not record another hit until Elvin Williams opened the ninth with a double. Blaski immediately picked him off second base and then retired the next two hitters to seal the win.

Marietta out-hit Heidelberg 5-2 and the Student Princes committed the only two errors of the game.