UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio — It was a disappointing end to the regular season as the Marietta College softball team dropped an Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader at John Carroll University Saturday (April 30) afternoon. The Blue Streaks took game one, 8-0 in five innings, and won the nitecap, 5-4.
With the top four teams qualifying for the OAC Tournament, the Pioneers (21-19, 10-8 OAC) sit precariously in fourth place but two teams behind Marietta in the standings still have games to play. Heidelberg (9-7 OAC) plays at first place Otterbein on Monday and Mount Union (8-8 OAC) plays at Wilmington on Sunday.
John Carroll (17-17, 9-9 OAC) set the tone early scoring four times in the first inning of game one. The Blue Streaks added three more in the second one in the fourth for the run-rule victory.
Christie Wade drove in JCU's first three runs with a home run in the first. Carly Simecek had a two-run double in the second and a solo home run in the fourth.
AnnMarie Kirchner (8-5) limited Marietta to a pair of singles as she went the distance for the shutout. She walked one and struck out six.
Kristina LaRocca (Strasburg, Ohio/Strasburg Franklin) (8-5) started in the circle for Marietta and took the loss. LaRocca was touched up for seven runs on seven hits in one inning of work.
Alison Kach (Greenwich, Conn./Greenwich) allowed one run on three hits in three innings.
Defensive woes hampered the Pioneers in game two. Five Marietta errors led to four unearned John Carroll runs in the 5-4 loss.
Each team scored a run in the second inning.
Kaitlin Klinchock (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mount Lebanon) led off the top of the inning with a walk and was sacrificed to second base.
Ariann Barile (Roaming Shores, Ohio/Jefferson) followed with an RBI double into the right center gap. In the bottom of the frame, three MC errors led to a Blue Streak run.
JCU took the lead with three more in the next inning. The Pioneers should have been out of the inning without allowing a run, but two more errors allowed Alyssa Coleman to bat with two runners on base. Coleman homered to centerfield for a 4-1 Blue Streak lead.
Marietta answered right back tying the game in the top of the fourth.
Brey Mays (Bloomingdale, Ohio/Indian Creek) and Barile reached on singles and came around to score when pitcher
Jocelyn White (Gibsonia, Pa./Hampton) helped her own cause with a two-run single up the middle. White would eventually score on JCU's only error of the game.
The Blue Streaks grabbed the lead right back in the bottom of the frame. White retired the first two batter of the inning but then allowed a single to Maggie Gannon. Lindsay McKnight moved Gannon into scoring position with a base hit and Hannah Mizener made it three hits in a row scoring Gannon with the winning run.
Brianna Lach (4-7) started and got the win. Lach actually threw all seven innings but was lifted to start the top of the fifth inning. When her replacement failed to get an out, she reentered the game and secured the win. Lach was charged with four runs on eight hits. Kayla Navratil faced three batters in the fifth without getting an out.
Marietta had a golden opportunity in the top of the fifth as the Pioneers loaded the bases with no outs but failed to score a run.
Rachel Montgomery (Massillon, Ohio/Perry) singled, Klinchock walked and Mays was hit by a pitch.
Back to back fielder's choices resulted in outs as Montgomery and Klinchock were cut down at the plate for the first two outs of the inning. Lach got White to fly out to end the threat.
White (7-8) tossed six innings and gave up five runs, just one earned, on seven hits. She walked one and struck out four.
Barile and
Ali Prologo (Canfield, Ohio/Canfield) each had two hits in the game for Marietta.
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