MARIETTA, Ohio — Marietta College and Capital University split a pair of Ohio Athletic Conference softball games Sunday (April 11) afternoon at Marietta Field. The Crusaders won game one, 7-4, while the Pioneers took game two, 12-4 in six innings.
Marietta is now 9-11 overall and 9-11 in the OAC. Capital is 7-13 on the season and 7-13 in conference games.
Capital's Krislyn Bayles smacked a pinch-hit, three-run home run in the fifth inning of game one to break a 4-4 tie and give the Crusaders a 7-4 lead. While Bayles provided the offensive power, Brianna Shearer retired the Pioneer hitters in order in each of the last four innings for the win.
Shearer (5-5) pitched 7.0 innings and allowed four runs on seven hits. She walked three and struck out three.
The Crusaders grabbed the early lead with three runs in the first inning. Capital took advantage of two Pioneer errors to score three unearned runs in the rally.
Marietta answered with one run in the bottom of the first and then took a 4-3 lead with three more runs in the second. In the third, Marietta loaded the bases with no outs. Sac flies from
Kaitlyn Carpenter (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington North) and
Jess Brown (Brookville, Ohio/Brookville) scored two runs and a single from
Anna Swierczewski (Natrona Heights, Pa./Saint Joseph) scored the third run and gave MC a 4-3 lead.
Maddi Liston (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington Central) (4-3) started in the circle for Marietta and was tagged with the loss. She threw 4.0 innings and allowed five runs, only one earned, on five hits. Liston walked two and struck out three.
Hannah Richardson (Westerville, Ohio/Westerville Central) worked the final 3.0 innings and gave up two runs on four hits.
The Pioneers exploded for nine runs in the first two innings of game two and went on to earn the 12-4 mercy rule victory in the sixth inning on a walk-off, two-run home run from
Kylie Daugherty (Newport, Ohio/Frontier).
Daugherty got the offense started in the first inning with a two-run, two out single.
Maicy Kirk (Lewis Center, Ohio/Olentangy Orange) and
Taylor Watts (Galloway, Ohio/West Jefferson) led off with singles and moved to second and third on a ground out by Carpenter. Following a line out by
Rachel Kazmirski (Colliers, W.Va./Brooke), Daughtery ripped the first pitch she saw into left field for the run-scoring hit.
Marietta sent 10 hitters to the plate in the second inning scoring seven runs. The big blows in the rally were a three-run home run from Carpenter and a two-run blast from Brown.
Capital cut into the lead with three runs in the third and one more in the fourth for a 9-4 Marietta advantage. The Pioneers got one run back in the fourth when Swierczewski lined an RBI double into the right center gap.
Carpenter got hit by a pitch to start the sixth inning. Kazmirski grounded out to the shortstop bringing Daugherty to the plate. The Pioneer junior shortstop launched the game winning hit over the wall in right center.
Daugherty led the Pioneer offense going 3-for-3 with three runs scored and four RBI. Kirk, Watts, Swierczewski and
Hailey Maher (Galloway, Ohio/Central Crossing) all had two hits in the game.
Airyanna Maurer (Marysville, Ohio/Marysville) (1-2) got the win. She threw 4.0 innings and gave up four runs on just three hits. Maurer walked five and struck out five.
Ashton Helmke (Defiance, Ohio/Tinora) pitched 2.0 innings of shutout relief.
Krislyn Bayles (1-3) started and took the loss after allowing seven runs on eight hits. Katelyn Wilhelm and Madrienne Herdlick threw in relief for the Crusaders.
Marietta has a four-game series with Baldwin Wallace University next weekend. The Pioneers travel to Berea on Saturday (April 17) for a 1 p.m. doubleheader and then host the Yellow Jackets on Sunday at 1 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.
