MARIETTA, Ohio — Marietta College and rival Muskingum University split an Ohio Athletic Conference softball doubleheader Sunday (April 2) afternoon at Marietta Field. The Muskies took the first, 6-3, before Marietta salvaged the split with a 3-2 win in the nitecap.
Marietta moves to 9-13 overall and 1-3 in the OAC. Muskingum is now 9-15 on the season and is also 103 in league play.
The Pioneers scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to slip by the Muskies in game two. Senior
Brey Mays (Bloomingdale, Ohio/Indian Creek) started the rally by lining a single to right field. Muskingum's right fielder misplayed the ball allowing Mays to move all the way around to third base.
Alexis Reese (Canton, Ohio/Perry) followed with a single up the middle scoring Mays and cutting the Muskie lead in half, 2-1. Ali Prolog worked a free pass and then
Brianna Finck (New Lexington, Ohio/Crooksville) dropped down a sac bunt pushing the runners to second and third with one out.
Parker Stewart took over in the circle for Muskingum starter Rachel Eberling and beaned
Kaitlin Klinchock (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mount Lebanon) to load the bases.
Cierra Bloom (Dennison, Ohio/Claymont) hit a ground ball to the shortstop who threw the ball away at the plate allowing Reese and Prologo to score the tying and winning runs.
Alison Kach (Greenwich, Conn./Greenwich) (5-5) picked up the win in relief of Marietta starter
Jocelyn White (Gibsonia, Pa./Hampton). Kach tossed 2.1 innings of scoreless relief allowing three hits and a walk. White pitched 4.2 innings and gave up two runs on eight hits with a walk.
Eberling (2-6) pitched 6.1 innings and was charged with three runs, one earned, on eight hits. She walked two.
The Muskies grabbed the 2-0 lead with three straight doubles in the third inning. After the first two batters of the inning were retired, Cassie Thomas doubled to centerfield. Krissy Hughes followed with a double to center that scored Thomas and then Melissa Maiorano doubled into the right-center gap scoring Hughes.
Mays was the lone Pioneers with two hits in the game.
In the first game of the day, Marietta jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Klinchock drove in Prologo, who reached on a double, with a single in the hole at shortstop. The Pioneers scored a second run on a fielder's choice.
Muskingum showed its power in the third inning. Jessica Matthews smacked a solo home run to center field. Haylea Debolt followed with a single and then Dakota DeAmicis put the Muskies in front with a two-run shot over the fence in left-center.
The Muskies added single runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, while Marietta pushed a run across in the fifth.
DeBolt (2-3) got the win in relief. She threw 4.2 innings and gave up one run on three hits. Starter Hayley Dotson worked 2.1 innings and allowed two runs on six hits.
Kach started and took the loss for the Pioneers. Kach threw 3.1 innings and gave up four runs on six hits. White tossed 3.2 innings of relief and gave up two runs, one earned, on three hits.
Klinchock and
Ariann Barile (Roaming Shores, Ohio/Jefferson) each had two hits in the game for the Pioneers.
Marietta travels to Alliance on Wednesday (April 5) for a 3:00 p.m. Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader at the University of Mount Union. Fans can follow all the Pioneer teams 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.
