Marietta College has work to do in the NCAA Division III World Series at Fox Cities Stadium in Grande Chute, Wis.
Another baseball game like MC's 3-1 setback to the St. Thomas Tommies on Sunday night, and the nationally top-ranked and defending champion Pioneers (45-8) will be returning to Washington County.
The Etta Express does not want to go home - not just yet.
Marietta's goal of repeating as D3 champions for the first time in the program's history remained alive when it rallied from an early 7-2 deficit to defeat the Webster Gorloks, 12-7, in an elimination game Monday Memorial Day.
Next up today, the Pioneers are scheduled to play Wheaton (Mass.).
The World Series of course is a double elimination tournament - and the Pioneers cannot afford another loss.
Right now, it's one day, one game, one inning, one pitch, one everything at a time.
MC knows the drill well, because it already went through it in the Mideast Regional Tournament at Don Schaly Stadium. After falling to St. John Fisher of Rochester, N.Y., the Pioneers were down in the losers bracket, but not out - by a long shot.
All Marietta did then with its back against the wall was rally and beat Washington & Jefferson, Adrian College, St. John Fisher, and Manchester, respectively, in elimination games.
In the regional title tilt against Manchester, the Pioneers capped an amazing tournament comeback with a 7-3 triumph. They would be going to the Dairyland State to compete after all.
How'd Marietta do it?
Well, it's no state secret. No secret weapons were revealed.
The Pioneers were an open book as they did it with great pitching, timely hitting and a solid defense. Really, did you expect anything else?
Plus, they believed in themselves - and that made all the difference in the world.
Like anything in life, if you don't believe or have faith, it's not going to happen whatever it is.
Marietta believed and it happened - in the Mideast Regional.
MC won its World Series opener last Friday night against Whitworth of Spokane, Wa., with relative ease.
But nothing in the game of baseball really comes that easy as the Pioneers learned against St. Thomas. Sometimes the other team is just better - for that one game at least.
No time to dwell on past games in a double elimination tourney. Got to move on - and win the next one...then another one...and then come back and get another.
It can be done.
The Pioneers took care of business against the Gorloks.
Now, they need to do the same vs. the Lyons.
And, if any school can do it, Marietta can.
Ron Johnston is the Marietta Times sports editor and can be reached at 376-5441 or at rjohnston@mariettatimes.com
