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MARIETTA, Ohio – Senior
Trayla Liles (Tollesboro, Ky./Lewis County) blasted three home runs in the nightcap to power the Marietta College softball team to a sweep of Heidelberg University Saturday (April 13) afternoon in Ohio Athletic Conference action.
The Pioneers took over sole possession of first place in the OAC with an 8-2 record. Marietta is 18-10 overall. The Student Princes remain winless in league play at 0-10. They are 10-16 on the season.
Marietta scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning of game one to break a 2-2 tie. Senior catcher
Ris McDaniel (Pickerington/North) walked to lead off the inning and moved to second on a ground out.
Freshman
Rachel Montgomery (Massillon, Ohio/Perry) doubled to left field scoring McDaniel with the go ahead run. Fellow freshman
Kelsey Kallenborn (Marshallville/Smithville) followed with a towering home run to left for a 5-2 Pioneer advantage.
Sophomore
Alexis O'Hair (Maumee/Maumee) (7-3) struck out a career-high nine Heidelberg hitters and went the distance in the circle for the win. O'Hair gave up two runs on eight hits. She walked two.
Freshman Nicola Gabriele (2-7) took the loss for Heidelberg. Gabriele threw 5.2 innings and allowed five runs on five base hits. She walked three and struck out four.
The Pioneers banged out 14 hits in game two including 11 for extra bases. In addition to the three home runs from Liles, Kallenborn hit her second long ball of the day. Marietta had six doubles, three from junior
Hannah Tarski (Independence/Independence), and a triple from senior
Michelle Sayre (Ripley, W.Va./Ripley).
Liles got things rolling with a solo homer to lead off the second inning. Tarski made it 2-0 with an RBI double, the first of her three two-baggers.
Marietta added four more runs in the third. Sayre drove in McDaniel with a triple into the right center gap. Three straight doubles from Montgomery, Kallenborn and Tarksi accounted for the other Pioneer runs in the inning.
Heidelberg refused to go away quietly and battled back with five runs in the fifth. The Student Princes took advantage of a Marietta error and three walks in the inning.
Liles answered with a solo shot deep to left to start the Pioneers' fifth inning. Two batters later, Kallenborn made it 8-5 with a home run to left center. After Heidelberg plated two in the top of the seventh, Liles finished the day with a two-run laser that cleared the fence in center field.
Liles' three home runs set a new school single game record. Tarski tied the school mark for doubles in a game with three.
Freshman
Lauren Larrick (Leesburg/Fairfield Local) (8-5) didn't have her best stuff but still managed to get the win. Larrick tossed 4.1 innings and allowed five runs on seven hits. She walked two and struck out two.
Sophomore
Courtney Kerwood (Nashport/Tri-Valley) picked up her fifth save after working 1.2 innings of shutout relief. Kerwood retired five of the six batters she faced striking out two and walking one.
Senior Ali Sayre (6-5) took the loss. Sayre pitched 2.2 innings and was charged with five runs on seven hits with a walk and three strikeouts.
Liles finished the game 4-for-4 with the three home runs, four runs scored and four runs batted in. Tarski went 3-for-3 with three doubles and two RBI.
Kallenborn was 2-for-2 with a double and a home run to go along with three runs scored and two driven in. Sayre collected two hits in four at bats including the triple.
Marietta plays at Otterbein on Wednesday (April 17). The doubleheader is slated for a 3:00 p.m. start. Fans can catch the action live at
pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at
facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on Twitter.
