MARIETTA, Ohio — In a battle of nationally ranked teams, No. 15 Baldwin Wallace University and No 21 Marietta College split an Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader Saturday (Mar. 24) at Don Schaly Stadium. The Etta Express posted a 4-3 win in the first game and Baldwin Wallace salvaged the split with a 9-2 victory in game two.
Marietta is now 10-3 overall and 1-1 in the OAC. The Yellow Jackets move to 14-4 on the season and are also 1-1 in conference play.
Pioneer freshman third baseman
Damian Yenzi (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) delivered a two-out single down the left field line in the bottom of the eighth driving in
Mike Hale (Dayton, Ohio/Northmont) with the winning run in the first game. Hale reached on a fielder's choice and stole second to get into scoring position for Yenzi.
Evan Lovick (4-1) took the loss for BW. Lovick threw all 8.0 innings and allowed four runs, two earned, on five hits. He walked four and struck out one.
Scott Oberhelman (Washington Twp., N.J./Old Tappan) started on the mound for Marietta. He worked 5.0 innings and allowed two runs on five hits. Oberhelman walked three and struck out four.
David Stover (Pittsburgh, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) (4-0) picked up the win throwing 3.0 innings of relief. Stover was charged with one run on four hits. He walked two BW hitters.
Michael Barnabei (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington Central) earned his third save after retiring all three batters he faced in the ninth.
Baldwin Wallace scored first when Philip Wells hit an RBI single to center field in the second inning. The Pioneers evened the score at 1-1 when Barnabei came around to score on a dropped pop up by the BW second baseman.
Wells put the Yellow jackets back in front with a solo home run to right field in the top of the fourth.
Marietta took its first lead of the game in the home half of the inning.
Jonathan Pingree (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin) singled and scored on a Barnabei triple. A passed ball allowed Barnabei to score giving MC a 3-2 lead.
BW right fielder Alex Marcum almost made a spectacular diving catch on Barnabei's triple but the ball came out of his glove when he hit the ground.
Wells, who finished the game 4-for-4 with two RBI, got the Yellow Jackets going in the top of the eighth with a leadoff single. Wells was lifted for pinch runner Jack Lehew. Lehew was sacrificed to second and then scored on a base hit by Chase Knodle tying the game, 3-3.
Barnabei was the lone Pioneer with two hits in the game going 2-for-3 with one RBI and two runs scored.
In the second game, Yellow Jacket pitcher Danny Cody (2-0) threw 8.0 strong innings for the win. He allowed two runs, one earned, on five hits. Cody walked one and struck out nine. Jack Raines pitched the ninth inning and gave up one hit, walked two and struck out two.
Ian Luttrell (River Forest, Ill./Oak Park River Forest) (1-1) started and took the loss for Marietta. Luttrell gave up six runs on four hits. He walked four and struck out six.
Easton Berry (Ripley, W.Va./Ripley) struck out the only BW hitter he faced.
Kordell Antill (Woodsfield, Ohio/Monroe Central) pitched 3.1 innings and gave up three runs, one earned, on four hits. He walked one and struck out a pair.
Jacob Baker (Hamilton, Ohio/Hamilton) pitched 1.0 inning and walked one.
Baldwin Wallace scored twice in the second inning taking advantage of three Luttrell walks to start the frame.
Hale hit a towering solo home run to left field in the bottom of the second to cut the BW lead in half.
The Yellow Jackets took control of the game with three runs in the fourth and another in the fifth. BW added one in the seventh and two more in the eighth.
Hale finished the second game 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
Marietta is back in action on Sunday (Mar. 25) with a pair of games at Schaly Stadium. The Pioneers play No. 25 La Roche College at noon and then host Thomas More College at 3 p.m.
Fans can follow the Etta Express year around at
pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at
facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on Twitter and Instagram.
