UCA Bears Baseball Hang 30 on Grambling State

CONWAY, Ark. – A record-setting night from catcher Michael Marietta carried the UCA Bears baseball team to a 30-0 romp over the Grambling State Tigers on Tuesday night at Bear Stadium.

Marietta, a senior from Oak View, Calif., turned in one of the best games in school history, tying a school record with three home runs _ including a seventh-inning grand slam _ tying another school record with three doubles and setting a school mark with 11 RBI. He finished 7 for 7 with six runs scored as UCA totaled 27 hits and took advantage of 12 walks and six errors.

UCA (24-8) scored seven runs in the first inning and never looked back, scoring at least a run in every inning and at least two runs in the first seven frames. The Bears played 29 players, including seven pitchers. Starter Connor Gilmore (3-0), a freshman from Little Rock, got the victory with three innings of work, allowing two hits and striking out one.

GSU (13-18) starter Armando Manrrique (1-2) got the loss, allowing six earned runs without recording an out in the first inning. The Tigers used eight pitchers, with all eight allowing at least one run.

Marietta, who now leads the Southland Conference in RBI with 36, had an RBI double in the first inning, a two-run homer in the second, another RBI double in the third and a two-run double in the fourth. He added an infield single in the fifth and walked in the sixth inning.

After switching to first base in the seventh inning, Marietta blasted his grand slam over the left-field wall in the bottom of the inning, then addded a solo shot to left in the eighth to complete his night. He shattered the school record of 12 total bases, finishing with 20, and added a stolen base for good measure.

Marietta set Southland Conference single-game records for RBI and total bases, and tied the SLC records for runs scored and hits.

Senior second baseman Blake Marchal went 5 for 8 with 2 RBI and 3 runs scored, while senior right fielder Forrestt Allday was 3 for 4 in limited action. Ethan Harris, Tyler Langley, Jonathan Davis and Justin Treece had two hits apiece. Davis and freshman Sam Moon had 3 RBI each.

Pitchers Zach Barr, Griffin Glaude and Blake Clayton all struck out two batters in their one inning of work, with Clayton striking out the final two batters of the ninth inning.

UCA plays at Arkansas State on Wednesday night before returning home for a Southland Conference season against Nicholls State, beginning at 6 p.m. Friday.