No. 11 Marietta softball sets new single-season record for victories with twinbill split at Otterbein
Pioneers bounce back from a 3-0 loss to win nightcap 2-1

Apr. 18, 2006
WESTERVILLE, Ohio — One of the key characteristics of a good ball club is that it can bounce back from a tough loss. The No. 11 Marietta College softball team did just that Tuesday (Apr. 18) afternoon, as it did not let a 3-0 loss to host Otterbein, in which the Pioneers did not get a hit, affect the result of game two. The Pioneers salvaged a split with a 2-1 victory, a win that set a new school record for victories in a year.

With the split, Marietta improved to 26-6 overall and 10-4 in the Ohio Athletic Conference. The Pioneers' 26 wins surpassed the 1996 team's 25 victories, which was the old school-record. Otterbein evened its record at 12-12 overall and 5-5 in league play.

Otterbein junior Megan Seibel out-dueled Marietta junior Kristen Quintana (Denver, Colo./Littleton) in the opener. Seibel did not allow a hit in the game and improved to 4-2. Only one Pioneer reached base, junior Lindsey Romick, who was walked twice and hit by a pitch in her other at-bat.

Quintana, meanwhile allowed three runs on seven hits and struck out five in the loss. She fell to 14-4 on the season. Otterbein scored its first run in the fourth on a RBI single by Hallie Rubins. The Cardinals added their final two runs on a two-run home run by Janelle Jones.

Both teams collected five hits in the nightcap. Marietta broke a scoreless tie in the top of the third. Sophomore Brandy Jacob (Wellington/Keystone) and freshman Emily McComb (Gnadenhutten/Indian Valley) had back-to-back singles with two outs, before junior Jenny Carroll (Lisbon/Beaver Local) delivered a two-run double to give MC the 2-0 advantage.

Otterbein pulled within a run, 2-1, by scoring on three straight singles off Marietta starter Christina DeMoss (Bellville/Clearfork) in the sixth. Quintana, however, came in and retired three straight to end the threat.

DeMoss earned the win to improve to 10-2 on the year. She scattered one run on five hits and fanned two in five-plus innings. Quintana struck out one en route to her fourth save of the year.

Five different Pioneers — Jacob, McComb, Carroll, freshman Nikki Driscoll (Bellaire) and junior Jessy Hutchison (Reynoldsburg) — had hits in the win. Kelsey Beers went 2-for-3 for Otterbein in the loss.

Marietta returns to action Saturday (Apr. 22) when it hosts Baldwin-Wallace for a doubleheader at 1 p.m. On Saturday, there will be a ceremony to dedicate the new field and the 1996 OAC Championship and NCAA Tournament team will be recognized between games. The Pioneers are still trying to lock up a bid to the OAC Tournament with four league games remaining.