MARIETTA, Ohio – Playing in front of a packed house for the 14th annual Community Day, the No. 1 ranked Marietta College Pioneers swept an Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader from Heidelberg University Saturday (April 14) afternoon. [Game One Box] [Game Two Box]

The Etta Express scored three unearned runs in the fourth inning en route to a 5-3 game one victory. In the second game, Marietta scored seven runs in the first and went on to win 13-2.

Marietta is now 22-4 on the season and in first place in the OAC with a 9-1 record. Heidelberg drops to 16-13 overall and 5-5 in conference play.

Heidelberg second baseman Joe Chiarappa led the first game off with a triple into the left center gap. Chiarappa scored on an RBI-groundout by left fielder Ross Pruitt to take a 1-0 lead.

The Pioneers responded with a run in each of the first two innings. Junior right fielder #Jordan Grilliot (Brookville/Northmont)# walked to start the first and moved to second base on a sac bunt by senior second baseman #Kirby Becker (South Euclid/St. Ignatius)#. Junior center fielder #Aaron Hopper (Wheelersburg/Wheelersburg)# knocked in Grilliot with a single to left.

In the second inning, junior third baseman #Bryan Gregorich (Chardon/Chardon)# reached on a two-out single to right. Junior catcher #Alex Toth (Painesville/Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin)# followed with a double to left scoring Gregorich and giving the Pioneers a 2-1 lead.

The Student Princes tied the game in the third inning on a sacrifice fly off the bat of first baseman Eric Monroe.

The Pioneers capitalized on a crucial fielding error by the Student Princes in the fourth inning. Gregorich reached on a one-out single through the left side of the infield. Following a pop up for the second out, Grilliot singled advancing Gregorich to second.

Becker hit a sharp ground ball to second that Heidelberg couldn't come up with. The ball caromed into the outfield allowing both Gregorich and Grilliot to score. Senior shortstop #Tim Saunders (Alliance/Alliance)# lined a triple into the left field gap scoring Becker and giving the Pioneers a 5-2 lead.

Heidelberg added a run in the fifth when Pruitt walked and came around to score on a double by shortstop Ricardo Lizcano.

Senior #Brian Gasser (New Philadelphia/Indian Valley)# (6-1) kept the Heidelberg hitters off balance for five innings. The Student Princes managed just three base hits and three runs in Gasser's five innings of work. Gasser walked four and had two strikeouts.

Senior #Kyle Lindquist (Columbus/Worthington Kilbourne)# retired all six hitters he faced to record his fourth save of the season. Lindquist pitched the final two innings and had a pair of strikeouts.

Tyler Fruhwirth (4-3) took the loss for Heidelberg. Fruhwirth allowed five runs, two of which were earned, on nine base hits in 4.1 innings of work. He walked two and struck out two. Ryan Minteer threw 1.2 innings and gave up two hits.

Grilliot went 3-for-3 with a double and two runs scored. Gregorich went 2-for-3 with two runs, while Toth had a double and an RBI and Saunders recorded a triple and an RBI.

In the second game Marietta sent 12 hitters to the plate in the bottom of the first inning scoring seven runs. The Pioneers collected eight hits in the inning including a three-run triple down the right field line by Gregorich.

Chris Thomas (2-4) started on the mound for Heidelberg and was pulled after allowing seven runs on seven hits in just 0.1 innings of work. Four other Student Princes took the mound in the nitecap. Sylvester Nino threw the last three innings giving up no runs on one hit with a walk and two strikeouts.

Senior #Michael Mulvey# (3-0) stayed undefeated on the season. Mulvey tossed seven innings and surrendered two runs on seven hits. He struck out three and didn't walk a batter. Junior #Luke Langdon (Troy/Troy)# didn't allow a hit in two innings of scoreless relief. He struck out one.

Heidelberg managed a run in the fourth and another in the seventh. Lizcano had an RBI-double to score Pruitt with the Student Princes' first run. Pruitt drove in the other run with an RBI-ground out.

The Pioneers added two runs in the fourth and four more in the fifth. Junior first baseman #Evan Brockmeier# knocked in two runs with a double down the left field line in the bottom of the fifth.

Becker ended the game 3-for-4 with three runs scored. Saunders, Hopper and freshman left fielder #Mitch Geers (West Chester/Lakota East)# each had two hits for the Pioneers. Hopper, Geers and Brockmeier drove in two runs each, while Gregorich picked up three RBI.

Marietta travels to Westerville on Tuesday (April 17) for a 1 p.m. OAC doubleheader at Otterbein University.