MARIETTA, Ohio — It looked like the Fourth of July with the offensive fireworks on display at the eighth annual Community Softball Day Saturday (April 16) afternoon as Marietta College and No. 24 ranked Heidelberg University split an Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader.
The Pioneers (16-16 overall, 6-6 OAC) used four home runs to erase a seven run deficit and beat the Student Princes in game one by the score of 16-15. Heidelberg (19-7 overall, 6-4 OAC) bounced back to defeat Marietta 9-5 in game two salvaging a split.
Heidelberg hit a pair of home runs as well and grabbed an early 11-4 lead. The Student Princes plated three runs in the first and added eight more in the second.
Kaitlin Klinchock (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mount Lebanon) hit the first of MC's homers, a two-run shot, in the bottom of the first to keep the Pioneers within striking distance.
Alison Kach (Greenwich, Conn./Greenwich), who took over in the pitcher's circle in the second inning, helped her own cause with a grand slam in the third cutting Heidelberg's lead to three, 11-8.
Marietta trailed by five, 13-8, after giving up two more in the top of the fourth. But the Pioneers exploded for seven runs in the bottom of the frame taking a 15-13 lead.
Rachel Montgomery (Massillon, Ohio/Perry) smacked MC's second grand slam of the game and
Brianna Finck (New Lexington, Ohio/Crooksville) put the Pioneers on top with a two-run shot over the wall in center field.
Heidelberg's Marissa Smego tied the game with a two-out, two-run double in the sixth.
Montgomery led off the bottom of the sixth with a single up the middle.
Madison Gatley (West Jefferson, Ohio/West Jefferson) pinch ran for Montgomery and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by
Ali Prologo (Canfield, Ohio/Canfield). Finck stepped to the plate and delivered an RBI single down the right field line scoring Gatley with the go ahead run.
Kach (6-5) shut the door on the Student Princes in the seventh to secure the 16-15 victory. Kacj threw 5-2/3 innings and allowed nine runs on nine hits. She walked seven and struck out five.
Jocelyn White (Gibsonia, Pa./Hampton) started in the circle and gave up six runs on six hits in 1-1/3 innings of work.
Paige Attlerholt took the loss. Atterholt started in the circle, was pulled from the game, and then reentered the game in the fourth. She ended up throwing three innings and was charged with five runs on eight hits. Morgan Daniels and Erin Chapman each threw in relief for Heidelberg.
Finck and Montgomery both had three hits, including a home run, in the game for the Pioneers. Finck drove in three, while Montgomery knocked in four.
Cierra Bloom (Dennison, Ohio/Claymont),
Ariann Barile (Roaming Shores, Ohio/Jefferson) and Klinchock had two hits apiece. Klinchock had a double, a home run and two RBI. Barile collected two RBI and Kach plated four with her grand slam.
In the second game Heidelberg scored in each of the first three innings forcing Marietta to play from behind the entire game. Each team scored three in the first and one in the second, but the Student Princes grabbed the lead for good with two more runs in the third. They put the game away with a three-run sixth.
Klinchock hit her second home run of the game, a two-run blast, in the first inning. She would finish the game 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and two RBI.
Atterholt (11-3) went the distance in the circle for Heidelberg. She allowed fove runs on 12 hits and walked one.
Kristina LaRocca (Strasburg, Ohio/Strasburg Franklin) started for the Pioneers and pitched 1-1/3 innings giving up four runs on five hits. White (5-7) took the loss throwing 3-1/3 and allowing two runs on four hits. Kacj and
Reagan Tom (Chandlersville, Ohio/Philo) also threw in relief.
In addition to Klinchock, Montgomery was 2-for-3 for the Pioneers.
The Pioneers play a nonconference doubleheader at Hiram College on Sunday (April 17). Game one 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.
