BETHANY, W.Va. – The Marietta College softball team dropped a non-conference doubleheader Wednesday (April 25) afternoon at Bethany College. The Bison edged the Pioneers 2-1 in the first game and 8-6 in the nitecap. Marietta is 18-18 on the season and Bethany moves to 12-23 overall. [Game One Box] [Game Two Box]

Trailing 1-0 in the sixth inning of game one, junior shortstop #Michelle Sayre (Ripley, W.Va./Ripley)# reached on a one-out single to center field. Sophomore center fielder #Hannah Tarski (Independence/Independence)# bunted Sayre into scoring position where junior right fielder #Kirstie Welch (Pickerington/North)# came through with an RBI-single to tie the game, 1-1.

Marietta loaded the bases wit one out in the top of the seventh inning. Sophomore left fielder #Michelle Kelley (Stow/Stow-Munroe Falls)# and freshman third baseman #Sarah Mayo (Proctorville/Chesapeake)# walked while junior catcher #Marissa McDaniel# singled. However, Bison relief pitcher Emily Jump induced a pop up and a ground out to end the threat.

Madelyn Coffey led off the bottom of the seventh with a single to center. Alison Powell followed with a double to left field that moved Coffey to third base with the winning run.

Ashlee Needy hit a fly ball to left field that should of ended the game. Coffey tagged up on the fly out and appeared to score. But Coffey left early and was called out. Powell also tagged on the play and moved over to third. With two outs and the winning run 90 feet away, Maria Vallone delivered a single to right scoring Powell with the winning run.

Jump (2-9) got the win pitching one inning of shutout relief. She allowed one hit and one walk. Kelsey Bish started and went six innings. Bish gave up one earned run on five hits with four walks and four strikeouts.

Freshman #Alexis O'Hair (Maumee/Maumee)# (11-7) took the loss for Marietta. O'Hair went 6.2 innings and gave up two runs, one earned, on seven hits. She didn't walk or strikeout a Bison hitter.

Sayre went 2-for-4 to lead the Pioneer offense.

Defense was the difference in game two. Six Marietta errors led to six unearned runs for Bethany in the 8-6 victory.

The Pioneers took an early 1-0 lead in the second inning. Tarski and Welch both singled and moved to second and third on a ground out by freshman first baseman #Erin Jarvis (Medina/Highland)#. Sophomore designated hitter #Jessa Ott (Baltic/Garaway)# knocked in Tarski with a single to left.

Bethany took the lead with four runs in the bottom of the fourth. A pair of Pioneer errors coupled with four Bison base hits gave Bethany a 4-1 lead.

Marietta committed four more errors in the fifth inning that resulted in four more Bethany runs and an 8-1 lead.

The Pioneers responded with a five-run sixth inning. Marietta sent 11 batters to the plate collecting seven base hits. McDaniel delivered the big blow, a grand slam, her second home run of the season.

Heidi Soriano (1-0) picked up her first victory with 5.1 innings of work. Soriano gave up five runs, all earned, on 12 hits. She walked two and didn't strikeout a Pioneer. Jump pitched the final 1.2 innings to notch her second save of the year. Jump was charged with an unearned run and three base hits with one strikeout.

Freshman #Ayla Spoljar (Rayland/Bellaire St. Johns)# (0-2) threw 3.1 innings in a losing effort. She allowed four runs, two earned, on five hits. O'Hair pitched 2.2 innings in relief and gave up four unearned runs on four hits. Neither Pioneer pitcher walked or struck out a Bison hitter.

The Pioneers outhit the Bison 15-9 as three Marietta hitters recorded three hits in the game. Tarski, Welch and Ott all went 3-for-4.

Marietta hosts Baldwin-Wallace on Saturday (April 28) for a 1 p.m. Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader.