MARIETTA, Ohio — The Marietta College softball team split an Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader with Ohio Northern University Saturday (March 20) afternoon at Marietta Field. The Polar Bears won game one, 9-0, and Marietta took the second game, 5-0.
The Pioneers move to 1-5 on the season and 1-5 in the OAC. Ohio Northern is 3-5-1 overall and 2-4 in conference play.
Ohio Northern took advantage of five Pioneer errors in the first game scoring five unearned runs. The Polar Bears got on the board with a run in the second inning and added two more in the third. They tacked on three insurance runs in the fifth and seventh frames.
Stacey Walters (2-1) went the distance in the circle for ONU for the shutout victory. She allowed just two hits with one walk and six strikeouts.
Rachel Kazmirski (Colliers, W.Va./Brooke) (0-3) started and took the loss for Marietta. She worked 4.1 innings and gave up six runs, four earned, on four hits. Kazmirski walked four and struck out four.
Ashton Helmke (Defiance, Ohio/Tinora) allowed three unearned runs on four hits in 2.1 innings of work, while
Emily Callam (Greenville, Ind./Corydon Central) retired the only batter she faced.
The Pioneers plated two runs in the bottom of the first inning of game two and then added three more runs in the fourth for the 5-0 win.
Maicy Kirk (Lewis Center, Ohio/Olentangy Orange) led off the home half of the first inning with a single to left.
Kaitlyn Carpenter (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington North) reached on an infield bunt single and then
Kylie Daugherty (Newport, Ohio/Frontier) sacrifice bunted moving the runners to second and third. An error on the play allowed Kirk to score. Following a ground out,
Anna Swierczewski (Natrona Heights, Pa./Saint Joseph) doubled down the left field line scoring Carpenter.
In the Pioneer fourth,
Maddi Liston (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington Central) reached on a one-out single and was lifted for a pinch runner. A single from
Whitley Arno (Hamilton, Ohio/Ross) move
Ashley Bell (Johnstown, Ohio/Newark Catholic) to second. Kirk smacked a double to centerfield scoring Bell and moving Arno to third.
Carpenter reached on an infield single to load the bases. Daugherty worked a bases loaded walk scoring Arno. A sac fly from Kazmirski scored Kirk to make it 5-0.
Carpenter went 3-for-4, while Kirk, Swierczewski and Liston each had two hits in the game for the Pioneers.
Liston (1-1) picked up the win throwing 6.0 shutout innings. She allowed four hits, three walks and had two strikeouts.
Hannah Richardson (Westerville, Ohio/Westerville Central) gave up one hit and 1.0 inning of relief.
Alex Daum (1-1) got the loss for ONU. She allowed five runs on nine hits. Allie Bican tossed 2.2 innings and gave up no runs on three hits.
Marietta travels to Ohio Northern for a doubleheader on Sunday (March 21). First pitch is set for 1:00 p.m.
Fans can follow all of 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.
