MARIETTA, Ohio — Top-ranked and host Marietta College will play for a third straight Mideast Regional Championship at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. Second-seeded Heidelberg University and sixth-seeded Case Western Reserve University will face-off at noon to see who will have to defeat the Etta Express twice in order to steal one of the eight NCAA Division III Championship invites.

The Pioneers (41-3) secured their place in Saturday's championship game with 23-6 rout of rival No. 10 Heidelberg University. Marietta will attempt to extend its streak of every senior class making at least one championship round appearance since the NCAA began sponsoring a Division III World Series in 1975.

Case Western Reserve (33-14) avoided elimination twice Friday. The Spartans defeated Penn State University-Altoona 12-6 in a game that was resumed after being suspended Thursday night in the top of the second because of rain. Case Western Reserve then used a nine-run first inning to knock out Franklin College 10-4 in the day's final game.

Heidelberg (35-12) will look to bounce back from its loss to Marietta and earn a regional championship game appearance for the second straight year. In 2010, the Student Princes defeated the Pioneers in the Mideast Regional final and advanced to the World Series for the first time in program history.

If Marietta falls in the championship game at 3:30 p.m., the if necessary game will be played at 1 p.m. Sunday because NCAA rules prohibit a team from playing three games in one day.