MARIETTA, Ohio — Marietta College opened its home season with a doubleheader sweep of Wilson College Saturday (Mar. 1) afternoon at Pioneer Park. The Pioneers took game one, 3-2, and then completed the sweep with an 8-4 win in the second game. Marietta improves to 3-2 on the season. Wilson falls to 1-4 overall.
 
Austin Ziance (Highland Heights, Ohio/Mayfield) (1-1) struck out 12 Phoenix batters in game one for the win. He scattered six hits over 7.0 innings and allowed two runs, one earned, with two walks. Forrest Havanis (Washington, Pa./Trinity) and Cooper Fiehrer (Hamilton, Ohio/Badin) each pitched 1.0 inning of shutout relief. Fiehrer got the save.
 
Marietta score one run in the third, sixth, and seventh innings. Will Loftus (Westfield, Ind./Brebeuf Jesuit) got the Pioneers on the board with an RBI ground out in the third. Jeremy Tonelli (Twinsburg, Ohio/Twinsburg) was hit by a pitch, stole second, and moved to third on an error. He scored on the ground ball from Loftus.
 
Cam Russell (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) worked a two-out walk in the sixth. Infield singles from Drew McKenna (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston) and Shane Rothlisberger (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston) loaded the bases for Thomson Babineau (Scituate, Mass./Calvary Chapel). Babineau was hit by pitch driving in Russell.
 
Wilson plated runs in the first and sixth innings. With the game tied, 2-2, Loftus reached on a one-out single in the bottom of the seventh. Loftus stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch. Diego DeCello (Hamilton, Ohio/Badin) drove him in with a single up the middle for the 3-2 lead.
 
In the second game, Marietta scored two runs in the third and three more in the fourth for a 5-1 lead. Wilson scored one run in the sixth, seventh and eighth innimgs, while the Pioneers added runs in the seventh and eighth for the 8-4 win.
 
Jacob Rocky (Strongsville, Ohio/St. Ignatius) (2-0) started and got the win throwing 5.0 innings. He allowed one run on five hits with a walk and three strikeouts. Zach Marzetz (Blacklick, Ohio/Gahanna Lincoln) gave up two runs on four hits in 2.0 innings of work. Matthew Farmer (Amanda, Ohio/Teays Valley) and Brennan Stobbs (Medina, Ohio/Medina) each threw an inning of relief.
 
Nick Bonnizzio (Hudson, Ohio/Twinsburg) led the Pioneer offense going 4-for-5 with a double in the leadoff spot. DeCello, Loftus, and McKenna each had two hits in the game.
 
Marietta is off until next Saturday (Mar. 8) when the Pioneers play LaGrange College at Berry College in Georgia. First pitch is slated for 1:00 p.m.
 
Fans can follow 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 X and Instagram.