CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — After three days of postponements and a change of venue, Marietta College and Otterbein University finally squared off on the baseball diamond. The Pioneers split an Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader with the Cardinals Tuesday (March 24) at VA Memorial Stadium.
Otterbein (12-3 overall, 1-1 OAC) took the first game by the score of 1-0. The No. 22 ranked Etta Express (9-5 overall, 1-1 OAC) bounced back to win game two, 8-2.
Game one turned out to be a pitcher's duel between Otterbein sophomore Robert Kemer and Marietta junior
Christian Herstine (Beaver, Pa./Beaver Area). Kemer (2-0) scattered five hits over 6.2 innings of work to get the win. He walked two and struck out 10. Herstine (1-2) went the distance and was tagged with the loss after allowing one run on five hits. He walked three and struck out four.
The Cardinals manufactured the game's only run in the top of the third inning. Mark Walton started the inning with a double to left center. Nich Pitzer grounded out to second base moving Walton to third. Tyler Kent drove in what would be the winning run with a sac fly to right field,
Kemer retired the first 11 Pioneers he faced.
Tyler Packanik (Plant City, Fla./Newsome) singled up the middle in the fourth to give Marietta its first base runner of the game. The Pioneers would leave runners on base in each of the final six innings, but couldn't push a run across.
Packanik and
Chris Winpigler (Frederick, Md./Tuscarora) each went 2-for-4 to lead the Pioneer offense.
The Etta Express got rolling early in the second game scoring twice in the first inning and then adding two more in the second.
Tim McCoy (Willoughby/St. Ignatius) singled to lead off the first inning.
Mitch Geers (West Chester/Lakota East) followed with a double and then Packanik plated McCoy with a single to right. Geers later scored on a wild pitch.
Brandon Papp (Uniontown/Green) and
Michael Barnabei (Pickerington/Pickerington Central) worked walks to start the second inning. Both moved up 90-feet on a passed ball. McCoy knocked in Papp with a double to right, while Geers plated Barnabei with a sac fly.
Sophomore
Tommy Crowl (Cincinnati/Summit Country Day) (3-0) notched the complete-game win. He got into a little trouble in the fourth inning allowing two Cardinal runs. Crowl scattered five hits, walked two and struck out five.
Nick Muse (1-1) started and took the loss for Otterbein. Muse worked 2.1 innings and allowed four runs on five hits. Three other Cardinals threw in relief.
The Pioneers added four unearned runs in sixth inning for an 8-2 lead. McCoy collected three hits in five at bats.
Ryan Hanahan (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland) went 2-for-3, while Geers and Packanik each had two RBI.
Marietta plays at Washington and Jefferson College on Thursday (March 26). First pitch for the single nine-inning game is set for 4:30 p.m.
Fans can follow the Etta Express all season long at
pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at
facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on Twitter and Instagram.
