WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The No. 1 ranked Marietta College Pioneers posted a pair of shutouts over Ohio Athletic Conference rival Otterbein University Tuesday (April 17) afternoon. The Pioneers won by the scores of 8-0 and 5-0. Marietta improves to 24-4 overall and is in first place in the OAC with a 11-1 record. Otterbein falls to 16-16 on the season and 3-9 in the OAC. [Game One Box] [Game Two Box]

Senior #Austin Blaski (Pandora/Gilboa)# (7-1) pitched another gem for the Pioneers in game one to pick up his seventh win of the season. Blaski threw six strong innings scattering six hits. He walked two and had six strikeouts. Junior #Evan Brockmeier# worked the seventh inning and gave up a pair of hits.

The Pioneers scored an unearned run in the top of the first. Junior right fielder #Jordan Grilliot (Brookville/Northmont)# led off with a walk and senior second baseman #Kirby Becker (South Euclid/St. Ignatius)# singled to left. Following a strikeout and a ground out, freshman left fielder #Mitch Geers (West Chester/Lakota East)# hit a sharp grounder to third that was mishandled allowing Grilliot to score.

Junior center fielder #Aaron Hopper (Wheelersburg/Wheelersburg)# increased the Pioneers lead to 2-0 with a solo home run down the right field line in the third.

The Etta Express put the game away with three runs in the fifth and added three more in the seventh.

Grilliot singled to start the fifth and senior shortstop #Tim Saunders (Alliance/Alliance)# doubled putting runners at second and third.  Hopper then doubled into the right center gap scoring both Grilliot and Saunders. Hopper would eventually score on a base hit bunt from Brockmeier.

Saunders and Hopper started the rally in the seventh with a pair of singles. Sophomore #Matt Moormeier (Chesterland/Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin)#, a defensive substitution, singled through the right side of the infield scoring Saunders. Brockmeier plated Hopper with a sac fly and junior designated hitter #Braden Park (Oxford/Talawanda)# picked up an RBI with a single to center.

Hopper went 3-for-4 with a double, home run and three runs batted in. Saunders finished 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored, while Brockmeier drove in two.

Senior Dustin Reuter (6-4) took the loss on the mound for Otterbein. Reuter threw five innings and gave up five runs, four earned, on seven hits with three walks and four strikeouts. Junior Matt Frey was charged with three earned runs on four hits in two innings of work.

Marietta took advantage of a Cardinal defensive miscue in the top of the second inning of game two to take the early lead. Brockmeier reached on an error by the Otterbein shortstop and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by junior third baseman #Bryan Gregorich (Chardon/Chardon)#.

Saunders extended the lead with a run-scoring single in the third that scored junior catcher #Alex Toth (Painesville/Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin)# with Marietta's second run of the game. Toth singled to start the inning.

Saunders struck again in the fifth with a single through the right side of the infield plating Becker, who reached on a fielder's choice earlier in the inning, and giving the Pioneers a 3-0 lead.

Senior #Mike Mahaffey (Worthington/Bishop Watterson)# started on the mound for the Pioneers and got the win to push his record to 5-1 on the season. Otterbein led off the bottom of the first with back-to-back singles, but a strikeout and a double play got Mahaffey out of trouble.

After the first Mahaffey dominated the Cardinal hitters over the next five innings. Mahaffey went six innings and allowed just three hits with one walk and seven strikeouts.

The Pioneers added two insurance runs in the seventh as the Cardinals' defense again opened the door. Toth started the inning with a walk. After a fly out, Becker singled. Saunders loaded the bases with a base hit bunt.

Hopper scored Toth with a sac fly to center field. The throw back into the infield got away from the middle infielders allowing Becker to head for home. The Cardinals tried to get Becker at the plate but the throw was wild as he slid in safely.

Seniors #Logan Lewis (Nashport/Tri-Valley)# and #Kyle Lindquist (Columbus/Worthington Kilbourne)# combined with Mahaffey on the shutout. Lewis went two innings and gave up two hits with a strikeout. Lindquist pitched a perfect ninth inning with two strikeouts.

Saunders was a perfect 4-for-4 with a double and two runs batted in. Grilliot went 2-for-5 with a double and a triple, while Becker and Toth each scored twice.

The Pioneers return home to host John Carroll University Saturday (April 21) for a 1 p.m. doubleheader.