CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Marietta's return to the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship didn't last as long as the Pioneers had expected.
The top-seeded Pioneers lost to Wisconsin-Stevens Point 6-4 on Sunday at Perfect Game Field in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It was Marietta's second consecutive loss in the double-elimination tournament and the Pioneers exited after going 1-2.
"I thought (UW-Stevens Point) played pretty well," said Marietta coach
Brian Brewer. "(Starting pitcher Caleb Krommenakker) had three really good pitches and commanded them really well today."
For five innings, Krommenakker stymied Marietta's bats as the Pointers (42-9) led 1-0 after scoring a run in the first inning.
"That was a very Stevens Point type of win," said Pointers's coach Nat Richter. "Grind the starter as much as you can, and then come alive against their bullpen. I'm really happy to come away with a victory. Marietta is a great program."
Marietta entered the World Series as the top-hitting team in the nation with a .384 average, along with averaging 10.5 runs a game. Facing the best teams in the nation, the Pioneers managed 5.3 runs a game and were held scoreless for 11 straight innings between Saturday's loss against Salisbury and the first five innings against the Pointers.
The Pioneers (44-7) found some offense in the sixth inning.
Freshman
Alex Richter (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) led off the inning with a single and moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt from
Drew Wilkinson (Medina, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit). With two outs, senior
Damian Yenzi (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) delivered a clutch single to right center to get the Pioneers on the board.
"I spoke with our hitting coach and he told me to take swings that you can do damage with," said Yenzi, who went 2-for-4 in his final game at Marietta.
Marietta added two more runs in the inning on back-to-back two-out singles by
Brett Carson (Ashville, Ohio/Teays Valley) and
Drew Holderbach (Fairfield, Ohio/Badin).
"We expect to score more runs. We're used to scoring a lot of runs during a mid-week regular season game than what we are going to score in the World Series at Cedar Rapids," Brewer said. "I was really impressed by the positioning that some of the teams had and their pitch plans. That's the way it is this time of year."
Brewer also made a strategic decision to go with senior
Gino Sabatine (Alliance, Ohio/West Branch) on the mound. Sabatine, who had an up-and-down season, rewarded his coach with a stellar outing.
"I thought Gino was great," Brewer said. "He had a couple rough starts this season, but Gino understands this and we knew he would have a big outing for us. I think he saved his best for last."
After giving up a run on two hits in the first inning, Sabatine settled down and held the hot-hitting Pointers scoreless over the next four innings.
"I had a shaky first inning," Sabatine said. "After that I just tried to lock it in and focus on every pitch."
After Marietta took a 3-1 lead, Sabatine opened the bottom of the sixth by walking Aaron Simmons and hitting Payton Nelson. Bradley Comer followed with a double that tied the game at 3-3.
Marietta turned to Carson, who got out of the sixth inning. But he gave up three runs in the seventh as the Pointers had four hits, including a two-run single by Nelson.
"We like to score in bunches," Nelson said.
Austin Syvertson pitched the final 3 1/3 innings to improve to 5-1 on the season. He held the Pioneers to three hits and struck out five.
Marietta threatened in the eighth inning as
Turner Hill (Marietta, Ohio/Marietta) led off with a single and Yenzi followed up with a double. The rally was thwarted, though, as Syvertson induced Carson to hit into a double play, which scored Hill. With Yenzi on third,
Drew Holderbach (Fairfield, Ohio/Badin) struck out to end the inning.
"Our bullpen against any other team's bullpen is what I'll take all year," Richter said. "By that point we were trying to minimize damage. The double play was huge, and for him to strike the next guy out was huge."
Marietta's bid for a seventh national championship will have to wait. But Brewer is going to miss the senior-laden Pioneers, who helped the program return to the top.
"This is a tough time of year," he said. "We didn't play poorly, but now we have to say good-bye to some very special players."
Fans can follow the Etta Express all year long at
pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at
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