MARIETTA, Ohio — Marietta College and Denison University split a nonconference softball doubleheader Tuesday (March 29) afternoon at Marietta Field. The Big Red took the first game by an 11-8 score, while the Pioneers bounced back to win the nitecap, 3-2.
Marietta moves to 11-11 on the season and Denison is now 8-8 overall.
Denison jumped out to an early 6-1 lead with two runs in the second and four more in the third. Ricki Asher put the Big Red on the board with a two-run single to centerfield in the second, while Amanda Howell drilled a three-run double in the third inning rally.
Ariann Barile (Roaming Shores, Ohio/Jefferson) reached on a one-out triple in the bottom of the second and scored on a sac fly from
Brey Mays (Bloomingdale, Ohio/Indian Creek). The Pioneers added three more runs in the fourth cutting the Denison lead to 6-4.
Amy Castle (Columbus, Ohio/Groveport Madison) worked a bases-loaded walked and
Ali Prologo (Canfield, Ohio/Canfield) knocked in two with a double to left.
Each team scored twice in the fifth inning.
Kaitlin Klinchock (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mount Lebanon) socked her third home run of the season, a two-run blast over the wall in centerfield.
The Big Red strung together four hits in the sixth inning to extend its lead to 11-6. Kerry Hager, Lauren Secaras and Howell each drove in a run in the frame.
Marietta refused to go away quietly plating two runs in the bottom of the seventh before Denison secured the victory. The Pioneers loaded the bases with one out and then scored on a ground out and an error before a strikeout ended the game.
Sarah Herold (4-3) threw four innings to get the win. She gave up six runs on seven hits. Secaras tossed the last three innings to earn her first save of the season.
Kristina LaRocca (Strasburg, Ohio/Strasburg Franklin) (3-2) took the loss. LaRocca worked 2.2 innings and allowed six runs on eight hits.
Jocelyn White (Gibsonia, Pa./Hampton) (3-4) threw a complete game for the game two win. White allowed two runs, one earned, on nine hits. Colleen Hoffman (1-4) took the loss after six innings of work allowing three runs on six hits.
White helped herself with an RBI single in the second inning to put Marietta in front 1-0. Two more runs in the third, including a run-scoring double from Mays, extended the lead to 3-0.
Denison plated one in the sixth inning and one in the seventh. The Big Red had the tying run in scoring position at second base when the game ended.
Marietta travels to rival Muskingum University on Saturday (April 2) for a 1:00 p.m. Ohio Athletic Conference 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.
