ADDITIONAL INFO
Box score  |  2021 Schedule  |  2021 statistics  |  Baseball home

---

BEXLEY, Ohio –  On a cool, yet beautiful Monday afternoon, the Capital University baseball team upended the No. 5 Marietta College Pioneers by a final score of 4-3. A fifth inning offensive outburst and five strong innings of relief from Curtis Clark was all the Crusaders would need to complete the upset. 

The win brought the Crusaders to 3-15 on the season and was their first in the month of April this campaign. The loss was just Marietta's second of the year and their first since March 21. 

Marietta got out to a 2-0 lead with a run in the second and the fourth innings behind RBI at-bats by Trent Castle and Matthew Busby. The visitor's advantage would hold until the fifth inning. 

In the top of the fifth, Clark relieved starting pitcher Scott Gutstein for the Crusaders and worked around a walk to keep the Pioneers from scoring. Helping Cap out of the inning was catcher Brandon Barnette's arm. The junior backstop gunned down the leadoff baserunner Zach Boyd after Boyd had drawn a walk off Gutstein to start the inning. 

The Purple and White did their damage in the bottom half of the fifth as they plated all four of their runs in a lengthy inning that saw all nine batters see the dish. Three straight singles by Konnor Black, Cole Callaghan, and Garrot Kennedy loaded the bases. With two outs, CJ Rockwell drew a walk to bring home Black. The walk forced the Pioneers into a pitching change, which didn't have the intended effect for the visitors. Out of the change, Logan White laced a single to center scoring both Kennedy and Callaghan to put Capital ahead 3-2. Barnette then followed up his great defensive play with a double down the left field line that scored Rockwell to give the Crusaders the all important fourth insurance run. 

Marietta found another run in the seventh inning, but could not get much more off reliever Curtis Clark. Clark held steady for five innings of relief and earned the win. He allowed just three hits and two walks while striking out five. Gutstein tossed four innings, allowing five hits, three walks, and two runs in the start. 

Offensively for Capital, Konnor Black swung the bat perfectly, going 4-for-4 from the plate with one double and a run scored. Logan White had two hits and two RBIs. Brendan Stinson added two hits for Cap. 

Trent Castle and Turner Hill each had two hits a piece for the Pioneers. Damian Yenzi paced the team with two runs scored. Sam Matthews started on the bump for Marietta and was saddled with the loss. He tossed 4.2 innings of work and was responsible for all four Crusader runs. 

Capital returns to the diamond looking to continue winning ways on Saturday, April 17th as they host a doubleheader with Otterbein University. First pitch at Clowson field is slated for 1 p.m.