Marietta College's Brett Carson slides safely into third base as Heidelberg's Andrew Cook prepares to catch the ball during the first game of Saturday's twinbill at Pioneer Park. The Pioneers won the opener 11-5, and Carson hit a walk-off two-run home run in the bottom of the tenth to hand the hosts a 9-7 victory in the second game. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)

By JAY W. BENNETT

Sports Writer

MARIETTA — Brett Carson’s opposite-field two-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the 10th inning here Saturday at Don & Sue Schaly Field at Pioneer Park gave No. 14 Marietta College a 9-7 victory and an Ohio Athletic Conference twinbill sweep of Heidelberg University, which dropped the opener 11-5.

Between games the Etta Express (28-9, 12-4) of skipper Brian Brewer, who finish out the regular season when Capital invades at 4 p.m. Thursday for a doubleheader, honored the 1975 national runner-up team and also recognized players from past decades.

It looked like the sweep was going to be easy as the Pioneers held a 7-4 lead in game two entering the top of the eighth with Carson taking over on the mound after Josh Pedersen had worked the seventh and Gino Sabatine tossed an effective 4 1-3 innings in relief of starter Zach Marzetz, who recorded five outs.

However, that didn’t turn out to be the case as Cort Kramer took Carson deep for his first round-tripper of the season. Carson then issued a one-out free pass to No. 8 hitter Kyle Krummen before striking out Reece McNeely. Heidelberg leadoff hitter Braeden Limke tied it up when he launched a two-run bomb.

Forrest Havanis (1-0) worked the next two innings and allowed just a hit with one strikeout. With two down in the top of the 10th, Limke stroked an opposite-field shot into the left-center field gap. Carson, though, somehow managed to make a fully-extended diving catch with his glove just barely above the ground to save extra bases.

In the last of the 10th, losing pitcher Corey Brafford (0-3)watched MC leadoff hitter Nick Bonnizzio hit a slow chopper to short that he beat out for an infield single. Carson then stepped to the dish and got just enough of the pitch to send it past the fence in left to walk it off.

“Unfortunately, when I came in I let it up,” said Carson, who finished the day with five runs-batted-in. “I knew when it came time I was like ‘let me get this back for us’ and I was able to contribute, thankfully, and thank God for that.”

Trent Valentine (5-0) allowed five hits and three earned runs in the opener with no walks and six strikeouts. Kail Hill collected his fourth save of the campaign after recording the final eight outs. He allowed two hits, walked one and punched out a quartet.

As happy as Brewer was about getting the sweep, the entire day meant so much more.

“Just as special, really more special probably was the recognition of all the past guys,” said the head coach. “That group (1975) started everything for us. They got to the national championship game (first in school history) in a shared Division II and Division III, and to see so many of those guys come back as well as the ’80s and ’90s, we had like 50 or 60 guys back. It was just a really neat, enjoyable fun weekend and I’m just happy we could put the cherry on top there at the end of the game.”

If Brewer had his druthers, he’d rather keep playing right away, but MC has finals this week and will get a few days off.

“This will give us a little bit of a break,” Brewer added. “We’re a little beat up right now too, so hopefully we can get some guys back healthy and 100 percent, get through finals and be ready to roll by Thursday.”

Bonnizzio was making his first career start at second base, and Cole Yeager was handling shortstop duties for the Pioneers.

“We basically had a combination we’ve never had before up the middle, but I thought they played exceptionally well and did a nice job,” said Brewer, while adding “Trent just competes. I didn’t think he had his best stuff today as far as how the ball came out of his hand, but he just competes and contributes at the plate and contributes defensively.

“For Trent to go out and have a good day today, that was fun to watch. As a whole, I thought we did a nice job all day. I mean we answered. They’d put up a couple, and we’d put up a couple. That’s something we haven’t necessarily done all year, and it was encouraging to see that as well.”

The Pioneers opened game one by chasing Student Prince starter Jackson Powers (5-4) in the third after he allowed seven hits and six earned runs.

Carson put the hosts ahead for good when he scored on Valentine’s RBI double in the first. MC pushed three runs across in the third. Austin Amburgey started it with a double and was moved to third by a Cole Rieman sacrifice bunt. Marzetz followed with a run-scoring two-bagger and it was 3-0 after Carson singled back up the box. Bonnizzio, who had previously reached on a fielder’s choice, came home on a wild pitch.

The freshman Amburgey made it 6-0 in the third when the lefty launched a two-run bomb, the third of his career, to right-center.

HU was able to get to Valentine in the fourth when Aidan Corrigan singled with one out and Camden Farley hit a round-tripper to center.

The Pioneers answered with two in the last of the fifth to extend the advantage back to six. Marzetz took one for the team, stole second and runners were on the corners after No. 9 hitter Cooper Fiehrer singled to left. Bonnizzio came through with an RBI groundout and Carson stroked an RBI double.

McNeely had a leadoff double in the sixth and crossed on Limke’s triple, but Rieman knocked in Yeager in the bottom of the frame to make it 9-3.

The teams added two runs apiece in the seventh. The Student Prince got RBIs via a Kramer double that plated pinch-runner Colin Small along with a Limke RBI groundout. MC responded by sending six batters to the plate. Fiehrer walked and scored on an error, while Valentine knocked in Ty Davis with a single.

Heidelberg (16-21, 5-11) pushed across a pair of runs to open game two thanks to two-out knocks by Adam McVicker and Andrew Cook.

Starter Corbin Caplan, who worked into the sixth and allowed two earned runs, watched his infield make four errors in the affair. Fiehrer knocked in Rieman for an unearned run in the second. Ty Davis, who had a two-out double in the third, scored on an error to tie it.

McNeely’s RBI single to right scored Kramer for a 3-2 advantage in the fourth, but the Pioneers answered with a two-run sixth. Rieman got it going with a bunt single and later scored on a wild pitch. Matthew Green had reached via a fielder’s choice. After he stole second and went to third on the wild pitch, Carson gave the hosts a 4-3 lead with his 250th career hit — a run-scoring knock to right.

“Oh my goodness, that’s just crazy to think about,” admitted the senior Carson, who has been with the team for two seasons but spent his first three years at Muskingum, when told he would be No. 5 on the all-time MC hit list if they had all came in an Etta Express uniform.

“This will be a good one to celebrate and we’re going into finals. It gives us a good note going into there.”

Although HU tied it up in the seventh thanks to a Corrigan jack, coach Brewer’s program answered with three runs in the seventh before Carson allowed the pair of taters in the eighth. Valentine scored on an error, Amburgey knocked in Yeager with an RBI single and Rieman touched home after Fiehrer hit into a double play.

Day of Web Gems

Game 1

∫ Krummen’s diving catch in right field cost Marzetz a hit in the third.

∫ Carson robbed Andrew Pokley of a hit with a sliding catch in center in the top of the fifth.

∫ Bonnizzio made two up-the-ladder leaping catches. In the second, he had a 4-6 double play when he managed to snare a Pokley shot that appeared destined for center, and fired to Yeager at short as McVicker couldn’t get back in time. He did the same to Farley for the second out of the sixth.

Game 2

∫ Caplan had impeccable reflexes in the second when Valentine drilled a lined shot right back at him that the left-hander was able to grab with his glove at shoulder level near his right ear.

∫ Rieman managed to make a diving catch in left field to rob Pokley of potential extra bases in the seventh.

Special Recognition

∫ After members of the 1975 team were honored, which included names like Kent Tekulve and Jim Tracy, Sue Schaly was escorted onto the field by Mike Wright. During Don Schaly’s first career game as head coach of the Pioneers back in 1964, Wright threw a no-hitter in a 4-0 victory versus Morris Harvey.

Contact Jay Bennett at jbennett@newsandsentinel.com