As the winning run crossed home plate in the bottom of the ninth inning, Derek Penman was mobbed by his teammates at first base. With the rally completed, the John Carroll Blue Streaks found themselves squarely in the driver's seat in the race for the final OAC Tournament spot.

John Carroll split with Marietta College, 11-5, 10-9, on Sunday afternoon in University Heights. JCU now has momentum heading into the season's final doubleheader at Capital.

John Carroll also honored five seniors today for their contributions towards the baseball program. Those honored in the class of 2017 were Mike Raschilla, Patrick Scholla, Mark Materise, Drew Vargo, and James Molnar.

Game 1: Marietta 11, John Carroll 5

After falling behind by five runs, the Blue Streaks were unable to come back against the Pioneers.

Dominic Mittiga went 2-for-4 with a double. Senior Mike Raschilla had two doubles in the first game. Drew Vargo (L, 2-5) surrendered eight earned runs through five innings of work.The Pioneers took a five run lead in the first inning over the Blue Streaks. Marietta eventually held a 10-0 lead.

During the sixth inning, the Blue Streaks gained some momentum when Matthew Donnelly doubled to right center, effectively scoring Mittiga and Monroe Donnelly. The Blue Streaks would go on to score two more runs within the inning. Doubles by both Raschilla and Scholla would make the score 10-4, in favor of the Pioneers. The Blue Streaks would lose game one by the final six-run margin.

Game 2: John Carroll 10, Marietta 9

The walk-off winner in the bottom of the ninth capped off a comeback from an 8-3 deficit as John Carroll stepped ahead in the race for the fourth OAC spot.

"It was a great effort to come back in that one," said Marc Thibeault after the game. "We didn't do it in the first one, but we put together a full 27 out effort and earned a big win."

Joe Charpentier hit a two-run home run and had three RBI in game two at DH. Penman's RBI was the highlight on a 2-for-4 day at the plate for him. Matthew Donnelly and Patrick Keohane each had three hits.

Fred Moore started for JCU, allowing five through 4.2 innings and striking out three. Steven Virost was strong in relief, surrendering just one in 3.1 innings of work. Mark Materise came in and locked down the ninth inning, giving up just one hit. "It was just like any other time, to be honest," said Materise. "I've had experience with this [entering with a deficit] as part of the back end of the bullpen. It just feels great to have a team win like this."

The Pioneers would take a quick 3-0 lead in the first inning. They would eventually hold a 5-1 lead over the Blue Streaks, with Patrick Keohane being the lone scorer off a single by Monroe Donnelly. During the second inning, Joe Charpentier recorded a two-run homer to make the score 5-3. His first career home run as a Blue Streak was the first by a JCU bat at Schweickert Field in 2017.

Home plate would not see any action until the fifth inning, when Connor Golden homered to right field, making the score 6-3 in favor of the Pioneers. Monroe Donnelly answered back with a sacrifice fly to left field in the bottom of the fifth, scoring Derek Penman and making the score 8-4.

John Carroll continued to chip away at the four-run deficit. During the sixth inning, both Keohane and Zawadzki had RBI singles, making the score 8-6. Marietta would send one more runner home before the end of the game.

The Blue and Gold would rally in the bottom of the ninth. Christopher Houle started off the inning, sitting with a 1-2 count before being walked. Monroe Donnelly would walk home to cut the lead to two. Next up to bat was Charpentier, who was hit by the first pitch. Mittiga would walk home as well with no outs for the inning.

Senior Patrick Scholla would hit a sacrifice fly to bring Frank Spinelli home. Penman lined one out to center field, allowing Jason Large to slide home, securing the victory. "I was just focused on running to first," Penman said, laughing. "I'm just happy that we were able to string six or seven quality at-bats together as a team and earn the win."

With the split, John Carroll moves to 16-19 overall and 9-7 in the OAC. The Blue Streaks will face the Spartans of Case Western Reserve University on May 2 at Progressive Field at 2:00 p.m.