Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5324
MARIETTA, Ohio. (Mar. 12, 2025) – In another tight matchup with Marietta College, the North Central College baseball team was on the losing side of an 8-4 game Wednesday afternoon at Pioneer Park.
The Pioneers were first in the scoring column as the home team plated two runs on four hits in the bottom of the first inning. After a scoreless second frame, Jackson Bland launched his first home run of the season to even the contest at 2-2 as Kolby Fujii scored from first.
Caleb Coberley doubled down the left field line in the fourth inning and moved to third base on a failed pickoff attempt. Owne Ziaja scored Coberley on an RBI single to right field to give North Central its first lead of the game, 3-2.
Marietta answered in the bottom half of the fourth as three consecutive batters reached on hit by pitches before a two-run single put the Pioneers back in front, 4-3. Marietta tacked on another run in the fifth on an RBI groundout.
Following a Coberley leadoff single, Ziaja drove in his second run of the day on a double over the center fielder's head to bring the Cardinals within a run, 5-4. The Pioneers responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the sixth to take a 7-4 advantage into the seventh inning.
The North Central offense went hitless the rest of the game as Marietta tacked on a run in the eighth to earn an 8-4 victory.
Ziaja and Bland each drove in a pair of runs for the Cardinals who tallied seven hits on the day. Starter David Anderson allowed four runs in four innings and suffered the loss while Zach Marzetz picked up the win for the Pioneers, also allowing four runs in 5.2 innings of work.
The Cardinals stay in Ohio for the upcoming weekend as they compete in the Denison University Invitational. Game one is Friday at 1 p.m. (ET) against No. 21 Baldwin Wallace University at Big Red Field in Granville.
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