ADA, Ohio — No. 19 ranked Marietta College posted a pair of 11-2 wins at Ohio Northern University Sunday (April 2) afternoon in Ohio Athletic Conference baseball action. The Etta Express improves to 16-6 overall and 3-1 in the OAC. Ohio Northern falls to 12-9 overall and 1-3 in the OAC.
Marietta got two strong starting pitching performances from
Trent Valentine (Byesville, Ohio/Cambridge) in game one and
Kail Hill (Marietta, Ohio/Marietta) in the second game. Valentine (3-0) went 7.0 innings and allowed two runs, one earned, on just six hits. He walked two and struck out nine. Hill (4-0) followed that with 7.0 innings and 10 strikeouts. He allowed two runs on only three hits.
The Pioneers scored twice in the first inning of game one and never looked back.
Nick Bonnizzio (Hudson, Ohio/Twinsburg) and
Alex Richter (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) singled to start the rally. Carson dropped down a sac bunt moving them both into scoring position.
Ty Davis (Springboro, Ohio/Springboro) drove in Bonnizzio with a ground out and then Valentine helped his own cause with an RBI single scoring Richter.
Marietta built an 8-0 lead with six runs in the middle three innings. Bonnizzio had an RBI single in the fourth. Davis plated another run with a ground out and Valentine drove in one with a sac fly in the fifth.
Richter smacked a two-run triple in the sixth. Carson made it 8-0 with an RBI single to left.
Austin Amburgey (Miamisburg, Ohio/Miamisburg) and
Matthew Busby (St. Clairsville, Ohio/St. Clairsville) were both hit by pitches with the bases loaded, while the final run of the game came on a solo home run to right field from Carson.
Tim Knapschaefer (1-2) started and took the loss for the Polar Bears. He gave up five runs, four earned, on eight hits with two walks and six strikeouts in 5.0 innings.
Bonnizzio and Carson had three hits each, while Richter and Amburgey had two hits apiece.
Carson was a one-man wrecking crew in the second game. The Pioneer outfielder had two doubles, a triple and a home run to lead a 17-hit attack.
Richter and Amburgey added three hits each, while Bonnizzio and Valentine each had two hits.
Including Wednesday's win at Wittenberg, Amburgey reached base safely in 11 straight plate appearances (eight hits, two walks and a hit by pitch) and was an impressive 11-for-13 (.846 batting average) this week.
Marietta scored in the first inning of game two on an RBI double from Carson. The Pioneers added four more runs in the third.
Cole Rieman (West Chester, Ohio/Archbishop Moeller) was hit by a pitch with the bases lodaed and Bonnizzio delivered a two-run double.
Valentine plated a run with a single in the fourth and Carson smacked another solo home run in the eighth. He is tied for the OAC lead with eight home runs this season.
Four more runs in the ninth put the game out of reach. Bonnizzio drove in two more runs with a single and Richter plated one with his second triple of the afternoon.
Jack Hutchins (3-2) started on the mound for Ohio Northern and got the loss. He worked 2.2 innings and allowed five runs, two earned, on seven hits with three strikeouts.
Marietta hosts Washington and Jefferson on Wednesday (April 5) for a 5:00 p.m. single nonconference game.
Fans can follow all the Etta Express all year long at
pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at
facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on Twitter and Instagram.
