Posted: May 08, 2014
MARIETTA, Ohio -- The Baldwin Wallace University baseball team lost to host and top-seeded Marietta College, 3-2, in its first Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament game today at Pioneer Park on Don Schaly Field.
With its loss, BW is 22-17 overall and will play the loser of the 2nd-seed Heidelberg University (31-9) and 3rd-seeded John Carroll University (21-14) on Friday at 2:00 p.m. Marietta is now 29-12 and will play the winner at 11:00 a.m.
BW jumped out to a 2-0 lead when junior All-OAC first baseman Kyle Chontos (Pickerington/North) blasted a two-run home run down the right field line in the top of the fourth. It was his team-leading fifth homer of the season and followed an inning-opening bloop single by All-OAC second baseman Mark Zimmerman (Akron/Green).
The Pioneers cut the deficit to 2-1 in the bottom of the fifth when they scored via a hit-batsman, a walk, sacrifice bunt and sacrifice fly.
Marietta tied the game 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth via a walk, a botched sacrifice bunt, another walk and a sacrifice fly. The Pioneers won the game when sophomore centerfielder Tim McCoy singled to score a Marietta runner from second base.
At the plate for BW, Chontos led the way with two hits. On the mound, junior right-hander Cory Waite (Willoughby/South) pitched eight-plus innings and allowed three hits, three runs (one earned), struck out six Pioneer batters and walked two as he dropped to 5-1 overall. Sophomore Brandon Cichocki (Walled Lake, Mich./Central) relieved Waite and allowed one hit, one walk and struck out one batter.
The winner of the OAC receives the league's automatic berth in this year's NCAA Division III National Tournament which starts next week.
FOR MORE BW SPORTS INFORMATION, please contact Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327 and e-mail at kruple@bw.edu or Assistant SID Jeff Miller by phone at 440-826-2780 and email at jefmille@bw.edu. Fans can access the latest BW athletics information at www.bwyellowjackets.com and we invite you to join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bwyellowjackets and Twitter at http://twitter.com/bwathletics.
