Baseball splits doubleheader with Marietta

The Muskingum baseball team split its doubleheader against Marietta on Tuesday afternoon. In game one, the Muskies won 4-1. In game two, the Muskies fell 22-7.

• Records: Muskingum (10-19 overall, 4-8 OAC), Marietta (13-15 overall, 7-5 OAC)
• Location: New Concord, Ohio

Muskingum jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the first inning when freshman Chayce Lundell grounded out to short stop, allowing senior Michael Pagano to score from third base.

In the bottom of the sixth, junior Holden Martin doubled to center field, driving in senior Ben Van Wey. Then, freshman Trey Yoder hit a sacrifice fly to left field, bringing in Martin to make it 3-0.

Muskingum added to its lead in the bottom of the eighth when Yoder blasted an RBI single to right field.

Marietta was able to score one run in the top of the ninth, but the Muskie defense held strong as they went on to win game one.

Senior Evan Hinds earned the win for Muskingum on the mound. Hinds pitched 8.0 innings and allowed one run on seven hits while striking out two batters. Freshman Parker Brown earned his first save. Brown pitched 1.0 innings and allowed no runs on no hits. Pitcher John Stover took the loss for Marietta. Stover pitched 5.0 innings and allowed three runs on six hits while notching four strikeouts. 

Yoder led the Muskies with one hit and two RBIs. Drew Wilkinson guided Marietta with two hits.

Marietta jumped out to an early 7-2 lead in the top of the second inning.

Muskingum answered in the bottom of the third when senior Marc Ibarra hit an RBI single through the right side.

The Pioneers subdued the Muskie attack by scoring four runs over the next two innings, making it 11-3 in the top of the sixth.

Freshman Brett Carson hit a sacrifice fly to center field in the bottom of the sixth, making the score 11-4.

Marietta heated up over the next two innings, scoring 11 runs to increase their lead to 22-4 in the top of the eighth inning.

Muskingum managed to score three runs in the bottom of the ninth after freshman Sam Pinckert brought in two runs on a single through the left side and Carson notched an RBI; however, the Pioneers continued to control play and picked up a win in game two. 

Pagano took the loss for Muskingum. Pagano pitched 1.1 innings and allowed five runs on two hits. Sam Matthews secured the win for the Pioneers. He allowed three runs on seven hits in 5.0 innings of work. 

Sophomore Matt Stewart led the Muskies at the plate with one run on two hits and two RBIs. Alex Page guided the Pioneers with three runs on three hits and four RBIs. 

The Muskies next host Heidelberg on Thursday, April 18 Game one of the slated Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.