Marietta, Ohio: Following a conference sweep over Wooster, Division III's No. 1 baseball team continued out-of-conference play down on the Ohio River against the Marietta Pioneers. For the second time this season, the Big Red were able to come out victorious over the Ohio foe, this time with a 8-4 decision. With the win, Denison moves to 28-1 on the year and notches its 27th consecutive victory.

No. 1 Denison 8, Marietta 4

After outscoring the Wooster Fighting Scots 33-9 over the weekend, the Big Red lineup picked up right where they left off on the road at Marietta. A base hit from Jack Lutte and a double from Erik Sundgren put runners in scoring position for Kelly Crittenberger to clear the bags with a two RBI single to take an early 2-0 lead. Mahoney Daunic got his third start of the season for the Big Red. In the bottom of the first frame, the righty held the Pioneers scoreless to keep Denison in the driver's seat.

In the second at bat, the top of the Denison order continued to produce runs. With four hits in the inning, Sundgren's base hit would be the only one to plate a run to push the lead to 3-0. Daunic stayed in control in the bottom of the second, striking out two batters in the scoreless showing.

Following a scoreless at bat in the top of the third inning, Noah Shapo relieved Daunic after 2.0 scoreless innings. The southpaw allowed one hit and struck out two to hold onto the Denison lead.

The bats broke the game open in the fourth inning. Lutte drove in Cooper Marrs to plate the first run of the frame. Another double from Sundgren and a hit by pitch drawn from Crittenberger loaded the bags with one out. Cade Nowik notched an RBI the hard way, wearing a pitch to move the score to 5-0. In the following at bats, Max Fishbein sent a sacrifice fly deep into left field before a Nate Lloyd single plated two to take a 7-0 lead. In the bottom of the frame, the bullpen carousel continued to spin as Connor Remley took over for Shapo. The senior righty fanned two in his 1-2-3 inning.

The top of the fifth gave the Big Red another run, courtesy of a sacrifice fly from Lutte. Soren Cooper made his second career appearance in the home half of the inning. The first-year sat down three straight batters to keep the shutout going through five innings.

Over the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings, the Big Red were held scoreless. However, the Denison bullpen saw five new arms over the three innings. Evan Cerretani, Jack Loughren, Max Mullen, Colin Mitchell, and Andrew Clifford made appearances out of the bullpen. The Pioneers were able to find home with an inside-the-park home run. Cerretani lasted a full inning with two strikeouts. After missing last season due to injury, Loughren made his first collegiate appearance and struck out two batters. Mitchell, a first-year, also made his first career appearance. With one out in the bottom of the eighth, the Pioneers found momentum with the young arms and plated three runs to cut the Denison lead to 8-4. With the bases loaded, the Big Red turned to the trusted senior Ryan Paganelis. The righty rolled a double play to end the inning.

With both teams down to their final three runs, the Big Red were able to hold onto the 8-4 lead courtesy of a shutout inning from first-year Zack Shook. Over the 9.0 inning battle, the Denison bullpen used 11 arms. The staff tallied 14 strikeouts and allowed eight hits in the win. The defense was perfect in support, recording zero errors. Daunic was credited with his third win of the season.

Offensively, the lineup totaled 17 hits in the eight-run showing. Sundgren went 4-6 with two doubles and an RBI while Lloyd went 3-4. Owen Miller, Lutte, and Marrs also collected multiple hits. Over the nine innings, the Big Red lineup saw 10 different Pioneer pitchers, bringing the total number of arms between the teams to 21.

Up Next: The Big Red will be back in Granville on Wednesday, April 22, to host the DePauw Tigers for an NCAC doubleheader.