WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — The Marietta College softball team opened the 2015 season by splitting a pair of games Sunday (March 8) in the Rebel Spring games. Marietta defeated Washington College (Md.) by the score of 3-0 and then fell to No. 25 ranked Simpson College (Iowa) 1-0.
Against Washington (1-1 overall), the Pioneers jumped on top with an unearned run in the bottom of the first inning. Shortstop
Courtney Kerwood (Nashport/Tri-Valley) reached on a two-out error and then advanced to second on a single from
Rachel Montgomery (Massillon/Perry).
Cierra Bloom (Dennison/Claymont) plated Kerwood with a single up the middle to put Marietta on the board.
Marietta used some more two-out lightning in the second inning. After the first two batters were retired,
Brianna Finck (New Lexington/Crooksville) singled through the left side and then promptly stole second.
Natalie Bender (Akron/Archbishop Hoban) reached on a single and then Kerwood lined a single to center field plating Finck and Bender for a 3-0 lead.
Junior
Lauren Larrick (Leesburg/Fairfield Local) started in the circle for the Pioneers and worked 3.2 innings. She allowed no runs on four hits with two strikeouts and three walks. Sophomore
Alison Kach (Greenwich, Conn./Greenwich) (1-0) picked up the win in relief. Kach worked 3.1 innings and gave up two hits while striking out two.
Christine Anderson (0-1) took the loss. Anderson was tagged for three runs on five hits in 2.0 innings of work. Sydnee Schorr tossed 4.0 innings of shutout relief.
Finck finished with two hits in four at bats, while Kerwood scored once and drove in two other runs.
Simpson (12-0 overall) got a stellar pitching performance from Riley Fisher in the second game of the day. Fisher (5-0) went the distance and allowed just one hit while striking out six.
Freshman
Kristina LaRocca (Strasburg/Strasburg Franklin) (0-1) made a strong debut working 6.0 innings and giving up one run on seven hits. She struck out one and didn't walk a batter.
Simpson strung together three singles to plate the only run of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning. Tori Haag and Stacie Brown each singled and then Rachel Guessford drove in Haag with a single down the right field line.
Freshman
Ashlee Ireland (Carroll/Bloom Carroll) led off the sixth in for the Pioneers with a single accounting for Marietta's lone base hit in the game.
Marietta plays Illinois Wesleyan and Coe College on Monday (March 9). 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 and Instagram.
