Marietta Shuts Downs 'Berg Offense for Game 3 Win

Marietta College shut down the Heidelberg College baseball team after the Berg plated four in the third inning to take the game in Game 3 of the Ohio Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament 8-4. The no. 1 seeded Student Princes fall to 34-8 overall, while the no. 2 seeded Pioneers now stand at 23-18 for the season.

Marietta lit up the scoreboard first in the second with two runs in the top of the inning; they drove three more across the plate in the third before Heidelberg answered with four of its own. Gar Keen (Fredericktown, Ohio / Highland) picked up the first RBI of the day for the Berg when he grounded out to Marietta’s Dominick Winters at first, allowing Willie Brechun (Clinton, Ohio / Canton Central Catholic) to score from third. He was followed at the plate by Cody James (Belle Center, Ohio / Benjamin Logan) who doubled to right and drove in Jeremy Wentworth (Johnstown, Ohio / St. Charles Prep). The last two runs of the game for Heidelberg came in the bottom two-thirds of the inning when Matt Grassley (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich. / Grosse Pointe North) smashed a double to right center and picked up Jason Lash (Strongsville, Ohio/ Strongsville) and James for two RBIs.

Marietta answered back with another run in the top of the fourth to place them ahead 6-4, but neither team would see a player cross home until the Pioneers scored two more in the top of the ninth. In that inning, Steve Calevro (Perrysburg, Ohio / Perrysburg) made his way to the mound as relief for fellow Student Prince David Paddock (Westerville, Ohio/ Westerville North) who tossed 8.1 innings for the Berg. With a runners on first and second, Marietta’s Tony Piconke singled to left driving Britt Meador around the bases for Marietta’s seventh run of the day. Danny Jones rocked a single to right during the next at-bat for the final run of the game.

Offensively for Heidelberg, James led the team by going 2-for-4 at the plate with one RBI and one run. Grassley followed with one hit and two RBIs. For Mariette, Jones went 3-for-5 against the Berg pitching staff with one RBI and two runs. Tom DeAngelis contributed two hits, two RBIs, and one run as well.

On the field, Biagio Boytim (Brunswick, Ohio/ Brunswick) put out 10 runners, while Keen and Paddock each dished out three assists. For the Pioneers, Winters picked up 15 put outs and Piconke posted five assists.

Nate Eschbaugh threw 3.1 innings in relief to get the win, while Justin Merryman finished the game off in the ninth for the Pioneers. Paddock falls to 5-3 on the year for Heidelberg after allowing 10 hits, six earned runs, walking three, and striking out four.

Heidelberg faces off next at 4 p.m. today, May 9, against the winner of Game 4 (Otterbein vs. Mount Union), while Marietta gets to take the night off and hit the field again tomorrow, May 10, at 12 p.m. against the winner of today’s 4 p.m. contest in the final round of play in the OAC Tournament.