No. 10 Marietta sweeps Heidelberg in OAC twinbill
Pioneers improve to 7-1 on league play; first place showdown with Muskingum is Wednesday at Marietta Field

Apr. 8, 2006
TIFFIN, Ohio — The No. 10 Marietta College softball took a pair of Ohio Athletic Conference games from host Heidelberg College Saturday (Apr. 8) afternoon at Meyers Field. The Pioneers won game one 4-0, before finishing the sweep with an 8-0, six-inning victory in game two.

With the victories, Marietta improved to 23-3 overall and 7-1 in Conference play. Heidelberg dropped to 8-16 overall and 0-6 in the OAC.

Junior ace Kristen Quintana shutdown the Student Princes in the opener. Quintana, who improved to 13-2, allowed just one hit, struck out 10 and walked one in the complete-game victory. It was her sixth shutout of the year. She has now struck out 130 hitters in 2006 and 309 in her career. The school record for strikeouts in a season is 168, set by Candice Miller in 2001.

Marietta took a 2-0 lead in the second inning. Freshman Nikki Driscoll opened with single. Freshman Christina DeMoss was then hit by a pitch, and senior Sue Schwamberger sacrificed them both up a base. Junior Jess Hutchison picked up a RBI with a ground out; DeMoss scored a couple pitches later on a wild pitch.

The Pioneers' made it 3-0 in the fourth. DeMoss singled with one out and scored on a RBI double by Hutchison.

Marietta completed its scoring in the seventh. Sophomore Brandy Jacob doubled and scored on a sacrifice fly by junior Lindsey Romick.

Overall, Marietta finished with seven hits in the win. DeMoss went 2-for-2 with two runs scored.

It was DeMoss who took the hill in the second game. The right-hander, who improved to 8-1 on the spring, scattered six hits and struck out five in the six-inning, complete-game 8-0 victory. It was DeMoss' fourth shutout of the year.

Marietta jumped ahead 2-0 in the first inning. Jacob led off with a single and advanced to second when freshman Emily McComb reached on a fielder's choice. DeMoss had the big hit this time, a two-run single with two outs, to score both Jacob and McComb.

The Pioneers added two runs in the fourth. Hutchison and sophomore Krista Huffman had RBI hits in the inning.

In the fifth, Marietta made it 7-0 with three more runs. Junior Jenny Carroll tripled and scored the first run on a single by Romick. Hutchison had a sacrifice fly to score Driscoll, who walked. Jacob also picked a RBI with a bases loaded walk in the inning.

Marietta scored its final run in the sixth. DeMoss' sacrifice fly score Carroll with the eighth run of the game. The mercy rule was enforced after Heidelberg batted in the sixth.

Romick went 3-for-4, while Carroll was 2-for-4 in the nightcap. Marietta out hits Heidelberg 9-to-6 in the win.

Marietta will return to action Wednesday (Apr. 12), when it plays host to OAC power No. 6 Muskingum for a doubleheader at Marietta Field. First pitch of the first place showdown is slated for 3:30 p.m.