Heidelberg Drops OAC Doubleheader at Marietta

The Heidelberg College baseball team droped its Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader opener to host Marietta College today at Don Schaly Stadium in Marietta, Ohio. Marietta won game one 3-2 and swept the doubleheader with a 10-6 win in the nightcap. Heidelberg falls to 9-4 overall and 0-2 in the OAC, while the Pioneers improve its overall record to 4-9 and stand at 2-0 in the OAC.

In game one, Heidelberg held a 2-0 lead after four innings courtesy of a Matt Grassley (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich. / Gross Pointe North) RBI double in the third and a Steve Decker (Maumee, Ohio / Springfield) single in the fourth. Marietta cut its deficit in half in the fifth inning and scored the game-tying run on a Pioneer double and went on to plate the game-winning run due to a Heidelberg miscue in the sixth inning.

Junior left-hander David Paddock (Westerville, Ohio / North) suffered the loss on the mound, pitching 5.2 innings and giving up four hits, three runs, just two earned. Paddock struck out three batters.

Heidelberg out hit Marietta 8-4 led by Decker and Biagio Boytim (Brunswick, Ohio / Brunswick) with two hits apiece.

In the nightcap, Marietta held a 6-4 advantage after four innings. The Berg was held scoreless through the next three innings, only to see the Pioneers extend its lead to 9-4 heading into the eighth inning. Cody James (Belle Center, Ohio / Benjamin Logan) woke up the Heidelberg bats with an RBI double down the left field line in the eighth inning to score Tony Pawlowicz (Montpelier, Ohio / Montpelier), who reached the base paths on a single. Heidelberg added another run in the inning on a Grassley single to pull within 9-6. Marietta added another run in the bottom of the eighth and the Berg could not answer in its final at bat and suffered the 10-6 setback.

Senior right-hander Andrew McFarland (Mansfield, Ohio / Madison) pitched 4.1 innings and suffered the setback on the mound. McFarland struck out four, while giving up seven hits and seven runs, but only two earned runs. Heidelberg committed six errors in the game.

The Berg racked up 10 hits in the nightcap highlighted by a 3-for-5 showing from Grassley. Grassley also scored once and knocked in a run. Boytim backed Grassley with multiple hits, finishing with two, to go along with a run scored and an RBI.

Heidelberg will look to get back on the winning track when it hosts Ohio Wesleyan University March 25 in its home opener at Peaceful Valley in a nine-inning contest. First pitch is slated for 3:00 p.m.