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TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Marietta College Pioneers stayed alive in the 2013 NCAA Mideast Regional Tournament with a 6-2 win over Washington and Jefferson College Saturday (May 18) afternoon at Art Nehf Field on the campus of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.
Marietta (32-13 overall) will now face undefeated and top-seed Manchester University in the championships game at 3:30 p.m. Should the Pioneers defeat Manchester the two teams would play a winner take all championship game on Sunday.
Freshman
Jason Byers (East Granby, Conn./East Granby), pitching on short rest, tossed a complete-game gem for Marietta. Byers (8-2) allowed two runs on nine hits. He struck out nine and didn't walk a W&J batter.
The Pioneers jumped on the Presidents (33-13) in the first inning scoring three runs.
Alex Toth (Painesville/Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin) and
Aaron Hopper (Wheelersburg/Wheelersburg) each had run-scoring doubles, while
Mitch Geers (West Chester/Lakota East) plated a run with a sac fly.
Washington and Jefferson scored a run in the third and another in eighth. Marietta scored two insurance runs in the fifth and another in the ninth.
In the top of the fifth,
Christian Demko (Xenia/Bellbrook) scored on a wild pitch and then Winpigler drove in Grilliot with a single through the left side of the infield. Winpigler also picked up the RBI in the ninth inning with a single to left.
Sophomore Jared Baird made his first start of the season on the mound for W&J. Baird (1-1) went 8.1 innings and gave up six runs, just three earned, on seven hits in the losing effort. He walked three and struck out four.
Winpigler and Toth each went 2-for-5 for the Pioneers. Winpigler had two RBI, while Toth had a double.
Fans can follow the Pioneers' quest for a third straight national championship at
pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at
facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on Twitter.
