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Box Score 2 KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The Marietta College softball team opened play in the Rebel Games Saturday (March 10). The Pioneers lost to Millikin University (Ill.) by the score of 3-2 and then shut out Wheaton College (Mass.) 2-0. Marietta is 3-1 on the season.
Millikin's senior designated hitter Janet Ellis hit a three-run home run in the top of the first inning to give the Big Blue all the runs support they would need.
Marietta answered with a run in the bottom of the first. Senior second baseman
Katie Swejk (Tallmadge/Tallmadge) led off with a walk and quickly stole second. Sophomore third baseman
Sarah Mayo (Proctorville/Chesapeake) followed with an RBI single scoring Swejk.
Freshman pitcher
Lauren Larrick (Leesburg/Fairfield Local) (0-1) settled down after the first inning and blanked the Big Blue the rest of the way. Larrick threw 7.0 innings and gave up three runs on four hits. She walked three and struck out two.
The Pioneers cut the Millikin (1-0 overall) lead to one, 3-2, in the bottom of the sixth. Senior right fielder
Trayla Liles (Tollesboro, Ky./Lewis County) blasted a one-out solo home run to get Marietta within a run.
Senior Lauren Kitterman (1-0) worked out of trouble in the seventh to record her first win of the year. Kitterman went the distance and gave up two runs on six hits. She walked four and had 10 strikeouts.
Junior left fielder
Michelle Kelley (Stow/Stow-Munroe Falls) and Swejk singled to start the seventh. A sacrifice bunt from Mayo moved the winning run into scoring position.
Senior catcher
Ris McDaniel (Pickerington/North) was walked to load the bases with one out. But a pair of pop ups gave Millikin the win.
Swejk and Kelley each went 2-for-3 for the Pioneers.
Against Wheaton, freshman
Trinity Schlabach (Wooster/Waynedale) and sophomore
Courtney Kerwood (Nashport/Tri-Valley) combined to pitch a three-hit shutout. Schlabach (2-0) went 5.0 innings and allowed three hits. She walked two. Kerwood tossed the final 2.0 innings walking three.
Both of Marietta's runs were unearned. Freshman first baseman
Rachel Montgomery (Massillon/Perry) scored in the top of the second on a fielding error by the Wheaton shortstop, while Swejk scored on an error by the first baseman in the fifth.
Sophomore Emily Berardi (0-1) took the loss for Wheaton (0-3 overall). Berardi pitched 7.0 innings and gave up two unearned runs on three hits. She walked two and struck out two.
Swejk, Mayo and McDaniel each had one hit for the Pioneers. Junior shortstop Jenna Rocha went 2-for-3 for Wheaton.
The Pioneers are back on the diamond Monday (March 11) for a 3:00 p.m. game against Skidmore College (N.Y.) and a 5:00 p.m. match-up with Lakeland College (Wis.). Fans can follow the Pioneers all season long at
pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at
facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on Twitter.
