KISSIMMEE, Fla. — The Marietta College softball team lost its third straight one-run game after falling to No. 8 ranked Illinois Wesleyan 10-9 in 10 innings and losing to Coe College 7-6 Monday (March 9) in the Rebel Spring Games. The Pioneers are now 1-3 on the season.
Stephanie Prentice delivered a two-out single scoring Cassidy Tarpey in the bottom of the ninth inning to give Illinois Wesleyan (5-0 overall) the victory in game one. The Titans forced extra innings with a big six-run rally in the bottom of the sixth.
Marietta built a 9-3 lead on the strength of a pair of two-run home runs from senior shortstop
Courtney Kerwood (Nashport/Tri-Valley). Kerwood put Marietta in front with her first round-tripper in the first inning. Her second long ball came in the fifth.
KerwoodThe Pioneers plated five more runs in the sixth.
Brianna Finck (New Lexington/Crooksville),
Cierra Bloom (Dennison/Claymont) and Sarah mayo each drove in runs as Marietta sent 11 batters to the plate in the inning.
Illinois Wesleyan answered with six runs in the bottom of the inning. The Titans got a two-run home run from Maggie Graham and a three-run double from Laura Bonds.
Kristina LaRocca (Strasburg/Strasburg Franklin) (0-2) took the loss in relief for the Pioneers.
Lauren Larrick (Leesburg/Fairfield Local) started and worked 2.2 innings allowing two runs on three hits.
Alison Kach (Greenwich, Conn./Greenwich) Pitched 2.1 innings and was tagged for five runs on four hits before giving way to LaRocca. LaRocca tossed 3.2 innings and surrendered three runs, one earned, on four hits.
Chloe Montgomery (4-0) threw 3.1 innings of shutout relief for the win. Stephanie Prentice started and went 3.0 innings. She gave up two runs on two hits. Megan O'Donnell and Mackenzie Marquise each threw out of the bullpen for the Titans.
Coe College (5-3 overall) escaped with a 7-6 win in game two as Maliah Fligg retired three straight Pioneers with the tying run at third base and the potential winning run at second base when the game ended.
Once again Marietta grabbed the early lead scoring three runs in the bottom of the first for a 3-1 advantage.
Ashlee Ireland (Carroll/Bloom Carroll) drove in one run and a Coe error led to two others.
The Kohawks scored three times in the fourth and three more in the sixth to take a 7-3 lead. MC got one run back in the sixth. Ireland led off with a walk and eventually came around to score on an RBI ground out by Finck.
IrelandIn the bottom of the seventh, Kerwood and
Rachel Montgomery (Massillon/Perry) started the inning with back-to-back singles.
Sarah Mayo (Proctorville/Chesapeake) followed with an RBI double scoring Kerwood. Ireland then plated another run with a single up the middle. Coe went to the bullpen and put Fligg in the circle. Two strikeouts and a game-ending line out sealed the victory for the Kohawks.
Fligg (2-1) earned the win with 1.0 inning of perfect relief. Arran Weeces started and tossed 6.0 innings. She gave up six runs on 11 base hits with three walks and five strikeouts.
Kach (0-1) worked the first 4.0 innings for the Pioneers and was charged with the loss. Kach gave up four runs on seven hits with a strikeout. LaRocca threw 2.0 innings of relief and allowed three runs on two hits.
Jocelyn White (Gibsonia, Pa./Hampton) pitched the seventh inning retiring all three batters she faced.
Bloom, Mayo and Ireland each had two hits in the game for the Pioneers. Mayo had a pair of doubles, while Ireland picked up two RBI.
Marietta plays Thomas More College and the College of St. Scholastica on Tuesday (March 10). 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.
