Recap

The Marietta Pioneers advanced to the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) championship game with a 12-5 victory over fourth-seeded Mount Union (32-17) in Westerville Sunday.

The Pioneers (34-9) must beat number-one seed Otterbein twice to claim the tournament championship.

Ryan Dennick, a freshman from North Olmsted, bounced back from a rough outing Friday to get the win against the Purple Raiders, surrendering just three hits and three runs in five innings of work.

Pioneer freshman second baseman Ryan Belanger, from Coldwater, Mich., finished the game 2 for 5 with a two-RBI double in the fifth inning.

Marietta broke up a scoreless ballgame with a run in the fourth, and six more in the fifth. The Pioneers added six insurance runs in the final two innings, cementing their third victory over Mount Union this season.