CLERMONT, Florida — The Marietta College softball team won a pair of games Tuesday (March 8) evening. The Pioneers defeated Penn State Altoona 16-4 in five innings and beat Alvernia University by the score of 3-2.
Marietta improves to 3-4 overall. Penn State Altoona is 1-4 overall, while Alvernia is 2-2 on the season.
Marietta scored in every inning against Penn State.
Jillian Middleton (Marietta, Ohio/Marietta) gave the Pioneers a 1-0 lead in the first inning with an RBI single that scored
Paige Adams (Parkersburg, W.Va./Parkersburg South).
Rachel Kazmirski (Colliers, W.Va./Brooke) crushed a three-run home run in the second inning. Adams followed with a solo homer pushing the lead to 5-0. Marietta added two more runs in the third for a 7-0 lead.
Penn State got to Middleton in the second inning scoring one run on a wild pitch and another on an error.
Emma Burke (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) smacked a two-run double in the third as the Pioneers tacked on four more extending the lead to 11-3.
Anna Swierczewski (Natrona Heights, Pa./Saint Joseph) picked up an RBI in the fourth and another in the fifth.
Middleton (3-1) got the win pitching 5.0 innings and giving up four runs, three earned, on three hits. She walked five and struck out two.
Alyssa Fisher (0-1) started and took the loss for Penn State. She worked 1.1 innings and gave up seven runs on five hits. Makenzie Lukehart allowed nine runs, four earned, on eight hits in 3.2 innings.
Kazmirski, Adams, Middleton and
Taylor Watts (Galloway, Ohio/West Jefferson) each had two hits in the game for the Pioneers.
While the first game was a slugfest, the second game of the day was a pitcher's duel.
Alvernia plated a run in the first and another in the third for a 2-0 lead. The Golden Wolves blanked Marietta through the first six innings and was three outs away from the victory.
Haylee Mott (Kinsman, Ohio/Badger) reached on a one out single in the bottom of the sixth.
Hailey Maher (Galloway, Ohio/Central Crossing) singled and
Maddy Jones (Laurel, Md./Reservoir) doubled driving in Mott. Watts grounded out bringing home Maher to tie the game, 2-2. Kazmirski followed with a double scoring Jones with the go ahead run.
Middleton retired Alvernia in order in the seventh to secure the 3-2 win. Middleton picked up her second win of the day throwing 4.2 innings of hitless, shutout relief. She walked one and struck out nine.
Amelia Timko (Brunswick, Ohio/Brunswick) started in the circle for Marietta and allowed two runs on four hits in 2.1 innings. She walked one and struck out one.
Maggie Loomis (0-1) went the distance for Alvernia giving up three runs on eight hits with three walks and three strikeouts.
Maher finished 3-for-3 with a double and a run scored. Jones had two hits including a double and one RBI. Kazmirski went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
The Pioneers will take Wednesday off. Marietta plays Swarthmore College at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday (March 10) and Emerson College at 5:45 p.m.
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.
