MARIETTA, Ohio - Marietta College, ranked No. 12 in the country, scored double-digit runs in both games of an Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) sweep of the Wilmington College baseball team at Don & Sue Schaly Stadium on Saturday. The Pioneers took game one 12-2 and won the nightcap 11-3.
In game one, Marietta starter Gino Sabantine had his stuff working as Wilmington would not tally its first hit until the sixth inning. During that time, the Pioneers tagged Fightin' Quaker starter Luke Chappie with eight earned runs on 11 hits in 4.2 innings pitched.
The Wilmington offense got started with an Evan Kelsey double down the right field line in the sixth. Two groundouts ended the threat, but the Quakers would get on the board an inning later as Owen Baumann singled home Jesse Reliford. One inning later, it was Reliford's turn to tally an RBI-hit scoring Kelsey in the top of the eighth.
Marietta, which scored two runs in the seventh, plated two more in the eighth to seal the 12-2 victory.
Sabatine went eight innings and scattered six hits with one strikeout to earn the win. Chappie took the loss with two strikeouts and allowing 11 hits. Ryan Townsend finished the last 3.1 innings for Wilmington, allowing four earned runs with one strikeout.
Reliford and Kelsey led Wilmington offensively with two hits each. Drew Holderbach led Marietta with a 3-for-4 performance with five RBIs and three runs scored.
In the nightcap, Wilmington got on the board first as Tyler Shaneyfelt doubled down the left field line to open the game, and Reliford singled him home the very next at bat. Caleb Scott reached base via a single to shortstop and Luke Kleindl doubled the visitors' lead with a sacrifice fly.
Marietta got one run back in the bottom of the first, but after neither team scored in the second, Kleindl delivered yet another sacrifice fly, putting Wilmington up 3-1. Once again, however, the Quaker pitching staff couldn't hold the lead as the Pioneers scored multiple runs in four of the next six innings to seal the victory.
Kaleb Stines took the loss for Wilmington, surrendering five earned runs on eight hits in 4.1 innings pitched. The Quakers' three relief pitchers – Lincoln Howard, GlenAllen Anderson and Thomas Hueber – all gave up two runs. Dalton Wiggins earned the win for Marietta, pitching six innings and allowing a single hit in relief.
Caleb Scott finished 3-for-4 for Wilmington as the top three in the order record all six of the squad's hits. Turner Hill finished 4-for-5 with three RBIs and three runs scored for Marietta.
Wilmington (1-9, 0-6 OAC) hosts the Pioneers for two games at Tewksbury-Delaney Field on Sunday.
