MARIETTA, Ohio — The Marietta College softball team lost a pair of two-run games to visiting Muskingum University Saturday (April 16) afternoon at Marietta Field. The Muskies took game one, 5-3, and then completed the sweep with a 9-7 win in the second game.
Marietta falls to 11-17 overall and 5-7 in the Ohio Athletic Conference. Muskingum improves to 23-7 on the season and 9-3 in conference games.
Muskingum broke a scoreless tie with a pair of runs in the fourth inning of game one. The Muskies scored on a wild pitch and a bases loaded walk. A Claire Warschauer two-run home run in the fifth made it 4-0.
Warschauer plated Muskingum's fifth run of the game with a sac fly in the top of the seventh.
The Pioneers rallied in the bottom of the seventh.
Kylie Daugherty (Newport, Ohio/Frontier) led off with a double to left. Following a strikeout,
Jess Brown (Brookville, Ohio/Brookville) walked. Another strikeout left the Pioneers with one final chance.
Paige Adams (Parkersburg, W.Va./Parkersburg South) lined the first pitch over the wall in right-center cutting the Muskingum lead to 5-3.
Anna Swierczewski (Natrona Heights, Pa./Saint Joseph) walked bringing the tying run to the plate. Muskie pitcher Hannah Smith got
Haylee Mott (Kinsman, Ohio/Badger) to groundout for the final out of the game.
Smith (12-4) went the distance in the circle for the win. She threw seven innings and gave up three runs on six hits. Smith walked six and struck out eight.
Jillian Middleton (Marietta, Ohio/Marietta) (9-6) started and took the loss. She worked 3.2 innings and allowed two runs on one hit with five walks and three strikeouts.
Ashton Helmke (Defiance, Ohio/Tinora) and
Breanna Zirkle (Pomeroy, Ohio/Meigs) each threw in relief for the Pioneers.
Game two started much like the first with Muskingum scoring two runs in the top of fourth inning to break a scoreless tie. The Muskies would score two runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings and then added three more in the seventh.
Muskingum's first two runs of the game came on a pair of bases loaded walks. Warschauer had an RBI double and Haley Hawk drove in a run with a single in the fifth.Warschauer added another RBI in the sixth.
Marietta got on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning. Brown crushed a two-run home run to right field. Swierczewski added a two-run double in the right-center gap.
Trailing 9-4 heading into the bottom of the seventh, the Pioneers again tried to rally late. Aided by two Muskie errors, Marietta plated three runs in the frame before Muskingum was able to shut the door. Adams knocked in one run and Brown plated another with an RBI single.
Madelyn Thomas started for Muskingum and pitched 3.2 innings. She allowed four runs on five hits with two strikeouts. Alyssa Marlatt (2-2) got the win after giving up three runs, one earned, on five hits.
Middleton started and tossed 3.2 innings allowing two runs on one hit with five walks and two strikeouts.
Amelia Timko (Brunswick, Ohio/Brunswick) worked 0.2 innings and was charged with two runs on three hits. Helmke (0-2) was tagged with the loss throwing 1.1 innings and giving up two runs on three hits.
Brown led the Pioneer attack going 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. Adams was 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Marietta travels to Alliance for an OAC doubleheader at the University of Mount Union on Tuesday (April 19) afternoon. First pitch is set for 3:00 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.
