MARIETTA, Ohio — Marietta College opened the home portion of its softball schedule Tuesday (March 22) afternoon by splitting a nonconference twinbill with Bethany College. The Bison won game one, 4-3, and the Pioneers took the nitecap, 5-1.
Marietta is now 8-8 on the season. Bethany moves to 5-9 overall.
Bethany jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first game. The Bison plated one run in the second inning on an RBI double from Jasmine Fuqua. Marissa Bosley hit a three-run home run in the third.
The Pioneers answered with three runs in the bottom of the third to get within one, 4-3.
Brey Mays (Bloomingdale, Ohio/Indian Creek) led off with a single and then
Madison Gatley (West Jefferson, Ohio/West Jefferson) followed with a triple scoring Mays.
Brianna Finck (New Lexington, Ohio/Crooksville) made it 4-2 with a run-scoring single to right field. Finck moved into scoring position when the Bison shortstop dropped the ball on an attempted stolen base. She then moved to third on a groundout and scored when
Kaitlin Klinchock (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mount Lebanon) lined a double to center field.
Cassie Weiss got out of the inning and then quieted the Pioneer bats over the final four innings. Weiss went the distance and allowed three runs, two earned, on eight hits. She struck out 12.
Alison Kach (Greenwich, Conn./Greenwich) (5-5) started and took the loss. Kach pitched three innings and was charged with four runs and five hits. She struck out three.
Kristina LaRocca (Strasburg, Ohio/Strasburg Franklin) tossed four shutout innings allowing four hits and walking one.
Klinchock and
Rachel Montgomery (Massillon, Ohio/Perry) each went 2-for-3 with a double for the Pioneers.
Marietta turned the tables on Bethany in game two scoring four runs in the bottom of the third to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 4-1 lead. The Pioneers did all of their damage with two outs in the frame.
Klinchock reached on a fielder's choice and then came around to score when
Ariann Barile (Roaming Shores, Ohio/Jefferson) followed with a double to the wall in left center. Four straight singles from Rebekah,
Jocelyn White (Gibsonia, Pa./Hampton), Kaitlin Pressley and
Ashlee Ireland (Carroll, Ohio/Bloom Carroll) accounted for three more runs.
Klinchock added an insurance run in the fourth when she was hit by a pitch with two outs. Klinchock stole second and scored on a single to center field off the bat of Barile.
White (2-2) threw seven innings and allowed one run on six hits in the complete-game victory.
Weiss (4-5) took the loss. She started in the circle and worked three innings giving up four runs on 10 hits with three strikeouts. Samantha Binkley pitched the final three innings and allowed one run on two hits.
Pressley went 3-for-3 as the Pioneers banged out 12 base hits. Montgomery, Barile and Finn each had two hits in the game.
The Pioneers open Ohio Athletic Conference play on Friday (March 25) when Ohio Northern University comes to town for a 3:00 p.m. doubleheader.
Fans can follow the Pioneers all year long at
pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at
facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on Twitter and Instagram.
