Marietta and Otterbein split OAC doubleheader

Apr. 19, 2005
MARIETTA, Ohio - In order to be successful in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) in any sport, teams need to be able to win their home games. The Lady Pioneers are a softball team that are learning that lesson the hard way. Marietta, who entered the day in fourth place in the OAC standings with six games to play, took on Otterbein in a doubleheader at Hadley Field. The Pioneers took game one in dramatic fashion 3-2, but the Cardinals salvaged a split with a 4-1 victory in the nightcap.

The doubleheader split keeps the Pioneers in fourth position with an overall record of 14-19, 8-6 in the Conference. Marietta concludes its home OAC schedule 4-4. Otterbein improves to 11-11 overall and 5-7 in the OAC.

Marietta and Otterbein were each held scoreless through the first three innings of game one, before the Cardinals took a 1-0 lead with an unearned run off sophomore Kristen Quintana (Denver, CO/Littleton) in the top of the fourth frame.

The Pioneers responded with a run of their own in the fourth. Sophomore Lindsey Romick (Hannibal/River) led off the inning with a triple and scored on a wild pitch to even the score at 1-1.

Senior Katie Moriarty (North Canton/Hoover) broke the tie in the bottom of the sixth when she laced a pitch over the left field fence for a two-run homer, giving MC a 3-1 advantage.

The Cardinals plated a single run, but left the bases loaded in the top of the seventh and Marietta escaped with a 3-2 win.

Quintana, who improved to 12-5 on the year, scattered two runs on four hits, walked three and struck out three. Melissa Heckel took the loss to fall to 8-6.

Freshman Krista Huffman (Woodsfield/Monroe Central) finished with two of the Pioneers' five hits in the win.

Otterbein jumped on junior Stephanie Houston (Newark/Licking Valley) for three runs in two innings in game two and added another run off Quintana, who relieved Houston and pitched the final five innings, in the 4-1 loss for Marietta.

The Lady Pioneers only run came in the fourth when Romick homered to center field to lead off the inning. It was her fourth home run of the spring, setting a new school record for home runs in a season. Romick is also the new single season leader in doubles with 12.

The loss dropped Houston's record to 2-7. She was charged with three runs on four hits in 2.0 innings. Quintana entered the game to start the third and surrendered one unearned run on three hits. Megan Seibel (3-4) earned the win, while Heckel pitched the final two innings to pick up her first save of the year.

Marietta managed just four hits in the night cap, while Otterbein finished with seven in the win.

The Lady Pioneers will return to the diamond Saturday (Apr. 23) when they travel to Baldwin-Wallace to take on the Yellow Jackets in an OAC doubleheader at 1 p.m.