GRANVILLE, Ohio — The Marietta College softball team swept a doubleheader from Denison University Tuesday (April 9) afternoon. The Pioneers won game one, 5-4 in eight innings, and completed the sweep with a 2-0 win in game two. Marietta improves to 9-12 overall. Denison slips to 13-7 on the season.
The Big Red scored a pair of runs in the top of the second inning of game one. Annabelle Calderon led off with a home run and Jacqui Abogado drove in the second run with a sac fly. Marietta answered with runs in the bottom of the frame.
Grace Elliott (Akron, Ohio/Green) plated the first run with a single to center.
Jordan Cholley (North Canton, Ohio/Glenoak) drove in the second with a ground ball and the third scored on a Denison error.
Denison tied the game in the fourth. Brooke Surbaugh singled and moved to second on a wild pitch. She was lifted for pinch runner Natalie Omahen. Abogado delivered a two-out single down the right field line scoring Omahen tying the game, 3-3.
The game headed to extra innings still tied at three. Playing the international tiebreaker rules, A Groome was placed at second base to start the top of the eighth and quickly stole third base. Following a strikeout, Surbaugh knocked in Groome with a sac fly giving the Big Red a 4-3 lead.
Marietta started the bottom of the inning with
Jillian Strecansky (Columbiana, Ohio/South Range) on second base.
Camryn Campbell (Ontario, Ohio/Lexington) walked.
Rachel Kazmirski (Colliers, W.Va./Brooke) reached on a fielder's choice when she grounded to third, but Strecansky beat the defender to third base loading the bases for the Pioneers with no outs.
Jess Brown (Brookville, Ohio/Brookville) flew out to right field, but not deep enough to score a run.
Jillian Middleton (Marietta, Ohio/Marietta) followed with a two-run, walk-off double scoring Strecansky and Campbell for the 5-4 win.
Middleton (3-4) got the win throwing 4.0 innings of relief. She allowed one unearned run on one hit with three walks and four strikeouts.
Breanna Zirkle (Pomeroy, Ohio/Meigs) started and threw 3.1 innings giving up three runs on four hits with three walks and two strikeouts.
Surbaugh (5-4) went the distance in the circle for Denison and was tagged with the loss. She pitched 7.1 innings and allowed five runs, three earned, on five hits. Surbaugh walked two and struck out two.
Zirkle and
Grace Elliott (Akron, Ohio/Green) each had two hits in the game for the Pioneers. Middleton was 1-for-3 with the two-run double.
Middleton and
Amelia Timko (Brunswick, Ohio/Brunswick) combined on a four-hit shutout in game two. Middleton started and pitched 3.1 innings giving up two hits, walking two and striking out four. Timko (2-2) got the win throwing 3.2 innings and allowing two hits and striking out three.
Marietta scored both runs in the third inning. Campbell reached on an error to lead off the inning. Brown walked and Middleton had an infield single loading the bases. Kazmirski followed with a single to left scoring Campbell. Zirkle followed with a sac fly scoring Brown.
Sydney Silverstein (5-2) started in the circle for Denison and took the loss. She pitched 5.0 innings and allowed two runs, one earned, on seven hits with one walk and four strikeouts. Madilyn Moffitt struck out two in 1.0 inning of relief.
Campbell was the lone Pioneer with two hits in the game.
Marietta's Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader with Otterbein University on Wednesday (April 10) has been postponed due to the weather forecast. The Pioneers' next games will be on Saturday (April 13) when Wilmington College visits Marietta Field for Community Day. Game one is scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. first pitch.
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 X and Instagram.
