WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — The Marietta College softball team defeated Thomas College, 4-3, before falling to Lebanon Valley College, 5-0< tuesday="" (march="" 7)="" afternoon="" at="" the="" spring="" games.="" the="" pioneers="" moved="" to="" 2-4="" on="" the="">
The Pioneers scored two runs in the first and two more in the second to take a 4-0 lead against Thomas.
Shelby Metzger (Beavercreek Township, Ohio/Beavercreek) and
Camryn Campbell (Mansfield, Ohio/Lexington) led off the game with back-to-back singles. Following a flyout,
Jess Brown (Brookville, Ohio/Brookville) walked loading the bases.
Jillian Middleton (Marietta, Ohio/Marietta) played Metzger with a sacrifice fly and Campbell scored on a wild pitch.
Mackenzie Hartrum (Nashport, Ohio/Tri-Valley) led off the Pioneer second with a two-base error. Metzger dropped down a sac bunt and was safe at first on another Terrier error. Campbell loaded the bases with a base hit bunt.
Rachel Kazmirski (Colliers, W.Va./Brooke) followed with a two-run single to left scoring Hartrum and Metzger.
Thomas cut the Marietta lead in half in the bottom of the second. Megan Oberholzer, Maddie Swett and Makayla Panich all singled loading the bases with no outs. Oberholzer scored on a grounder to short from Cheyenne Simpson and Swett scored on a ground ball of the bat of Abby Farone.
A Marietta error led to an unearned for Thomas in the third. Leah Knight reached on an error, stole second and moved to third on a ground out. She later scored on an RBI single from Panich.
Thomas loaded the bases in the fourth but couldn't push the tying run across the plate. Kazmirski took over in the circle and got a strikeout and a flyout to end the threat. Kazmirski retired the Terriers in order in the sixth and seventh to record her first save of the season.
Sarah Keating (Wadsworth, Ohio/Wadsworth) started in the circle for the Pioneers and worked 2.0 innings. She allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits.
Breanna Zirkle (Pomeroy, Ohio/Meigs) (1-0) got the win in relief. She tossed 1.1 innings and gave up one unearned run on two hits. Kazmirski threw the final 3.2 innings and surrendered one hits with two walks and five strikeouts.
Avery Herrick (0-2) went the distance for Thomas and was charged with four runs, two earned, on eight hits. She walked three and struck out four.
Metzger, Campbell, and Kazmirski each had two hits for the Pioneers. Brown and Middleton each doubled in the game.
In the second game, Lebanon Valley broke a scoreless tie with a run in the fourth innings. The Dutchmen added two more in the fifth and sixth innings for a 5-0 lead.
Erin Pattillo and Jordan Walter combined on the shutout for Lebanon Valley. Pattillo started (1-0) and tossed four innings of one-hit ball. She walked two. Walter earned the save working the final 3.0 innings. Walter allowed four hits and struck out five.
Kazmirski started in the circle for Marietta and was lifted after 1.0 inning. She allowed two hits and walked two. Middleton (0-2) took over and was tagged with the loss. Middleton allowed three runs, two earned, on four hits. She walked three and struck out two.
Amelia Timko (Brunswick, Ohio/Brunswick) and
Jordan Cholley (North Canton, Ohio/Glenoak) also threw in relief.
Brown led the Pioneer offense with two hits, including a double.
Marietta plays Carnegie Mellon University and Simmons University on Thursday (March 9). The Carnegie Mellon game is slated for 11:30 a.m. and the Simmons games is set for 2:00 p.m.
Fans can follow the Pioneers all season long at
pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at
facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on Twitter and Instagram.
