DECATUR, Ga. - The Marietta Patriots (5-15) bounced back from Monday’s historical loss and swept the Waleska Wild Things (6-11) in Wednesday’s doubleheader.

Game One: Waleska 4, Marietta 5  

Dylan Jones (Presbyterian College) got the Pats on the board early in game one with an RBI single in the opening frame.

It wasn’t until the fourth inning until we saw more runs as Chase Evans (Georgia Gwinnett College) was able to even up the scoreboard with an RBI single of his own, then later capitalized on an error by scoring himself, giving the Wild Things a 2-1 lead halfway through game one.

Waleska added some insurance in the sixth inning, with Chase Evans yet again notching a base hit down the first base line, collecting two more RBIs and making it a 4-1 ballgame.

Marietta fought back in the bottom of the sixth, with Wade Richardson (Columbia State CC) scoring via a wild pitch, then Charlie Tull (Moorhead State) picked up an RBI by a fielder's choice which cut the deficit to just one run.

The Patriots were down to their final strike but were yet again able to get a rally going, a Travis Hammond (Emmanuel College) single, followed by a walk, hit by pitch, and another walk set the stage for Dylan Jones, who got a base hit allowing the winning run to come across.

Hunter Davis came out of the pen in the sixth inning and is credited with the win for Marietta, while Ethan Anderson took the loss for Waleska out of the bullpen also. The win in game one was Marietta’s first walk-off win of the season.

Game Two: Marietta 9, Waleska 5

Marietta got things rolling early again as Preston Welchel (Coastal Alabama CC North) crushed a two-run home run to dead center in the first inning. Luke Townsend (Georgia Highlands) also picked up an RBI single later in the inning, giving the Patriots a 3-0 lead to start game two.

The Pats were able to pick up two more runs in the second inning courtesy of a throwing error on a dropped third strike, a very tough break for Waleska as this put them in a 5-0 hole early on.

Things got better and better for the Patriots as Welchel was able to come across the plate again in the fifth via a passed ball, giving Marietta a 6-0 advantage.

The Wild Things were finally able to get on the board in the bottom of the fifth, as Bryan Belo (Lake Land College) just narrowly missed a home run by a couple of feet, but his double off the wall scored Ian Kennedy (Michigan) and gave Waleska their first run of the game.

Preston Welchel hit his second home run of the night to start out the seventh inning, an absolute rocket that went over the scoreboard in right field, extending the lead to seven. But the Patriots weren’t done in the seventh, however, as Justin Robinson (Reinhardt) was able to get a two-out two-RBI knock to make it a 9-1 ball game.

The Wild Things were able to plate four more runs in the bottom of the seventh, with Robert Trujillo (Delaware State) collecting an RBI and Brett Blomquist (Western Kentucky) getting two with a double off the wall, but it was not enough as the Patriots had built an insurmountable lead.

Grant Guinther (Oglethorpe) pitched six innings for the Patriots, only allowing one run on five hits as he collected the win for Marietta. Carson Bennink (Reinhardt) is credited with the loss for Waleska.

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