MARIETTA, Ohio — Otterbein University stayed atop the Ohio Athletic Conference standings with a doubleheader sweep of Marietta College Tuesday (April 12) afternoon. The Cardinals won 13-1 in six innings in the first game and took the nitecap by the score of 5-2.
The Pioneers fall to 13-15 overall and 3-5 in the OAC. Otterbein improves to 19-3-2 on the season and 6-0 in league play.
In the first game of the day, Otterbein jumped on Pioneer starter
Jocelyn White (Gibsonia, Pa./Hampton) for five runs in the first and then added three more in the second. The Cardinals took advantage of three walks and a hit batsman in the opening frame to take the early lead.
Cardinal pitcher Rachael Owens (11-1) went the distance in the circle allowing one run on just two hits. Marietta's lone run scored on a solo home run from
Rebekah Finn (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) in the fifth.
Otterbein added three insurance runs in the top of the sixth. Then Owens retired the Pioneers in order in the bottom of the inning for the win.
White (4-6) took the loss. She threw two innings and gave up eight runs on six hits.
Alison Kach (Greenwich, Conn./Greenwich) worked the final four innings and gave up five runs on seven hits.
After three scoreless innings in the second game, Otterbein scored three runs in the top of the fourth inning. Molly Riggs smacked an RBI single up the middle and then Tory Speakman drove in two more runs with a double down the right field line.
Marietta got one run back in the bottom of the frame when Finn crushed her second home run of the day.
Otterbein pushed the lead to 4-1 when Megan Garner knocked in Chey Rowe with a single up the middle in the fifth. The Pioneers answered in the bottom of the inning when
Cierra Bloom (Dennison, Ohio/Claymont) hit a sac fly to deep right field scoring
Madison Gatley (West Jefferson, Ohio/West Jefferson), who reached on an infield single.
The Cardinals made it 5-2 in the seventh inning. Maddie Flasco doubled to center field and then scored on a single from Bailey McElwain.
Meggin Kelley (2-1) got the win in relief. She threw two innings and gave up one run on two hits. Owens pitched the final two innings for her first save of the season. Gabby Johnson started the game for Otterbein and allowed one run on six hits in three innings of work.
Kristina LaRocca (Strasburg, Ohio/Strasburg Franklin) (4-4) started in the circle for the Pioneers and took the loss. LaRocca allowed five runs on 10 hits and struck out seven in 6.1 innings of work.
Reagan Tom (Chandlersville, Ohio/Philo) threw 0.2 innings.
Brianna Finck (New Lexington, Ohio/Crooksville),
Brey Mays (Bloomingdale, Ohio/Indian Creek) and
Rachel Montgomery (Massillon, Ohio/Perry) each had two hits in the game for Marietta.
The Pioneers host Heidelberg University Saturday (April 16) for the eighth annual Community Day. Game one of the doubleheader is set to start at 1 p.m. 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.
