No. 21 Marietta softball sweeps No. 12 Mount Union at Marietta Field
Pitcher DeMoss hits walk-off home run in nightcap

Apr. 16, 2007
MARIETTA, Ohio — The No. 21 Marietta College softball team knew that taking care of business against No. 12 Mount Union Monday (Apr. 16) afternoon would go a long way in allowing it to keep alive its goal of making the upcoming Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Tournament. The Lady Pioneers did just that, putting together two comeback victories to sweep the Purple Raiders, 10-4 and 2-1, on a cold windy day at Marietta Field.

The two victories improved Marietta's record to 20-6 overall and 5-3 in the OAC. Mount Union fell to 24-6, 9-3 in league play.

Game one, which pitted two All-OAC pitchers against each other, saw Marietta senior Kristen Quintana (Denver, Colo./Littleton) out-duel Mount Union's Lindsey Royer and lead the Pioneers to the 10-4 win.

Marietta jumped on the board in the bottom of the first, when senior Jenny Carroll (Lisbon/Beaver Local) drilled a two-out home run over the scoreboard in left center field. The home run was her team-leading fourth of the year.

Mount Union answered with a Amanda Yackmack home run to lead off the third. It then added three runs (two earned) on three hits to take a 4-1 lead after three innings.

The Pioneers used a five-run fourth, batting around, to take the lead for good. Senior Lindsey Romick (Hannibal/River) led off with a walk. Sophomores Nikki Driscoll (Bellaire) and Christina DeMoss (Bellville/ Clear Fork) then reached on back-to-back infield singles to load the bases. Sophomore Erin Faulkner (Wheelersburg) delivered a two-run single two batters later, scoring Romick and Driscoll. Pinch hitter Katie Woolf (Louisville) followed with a single to reload the bases. Junior Brandy Jacob (Wellington/Keystone) then drove in two more runs with a single to right field.

Marietta broke the game open against Royer with a four-run sixth. Junior Krista Huffman (Woodsfield/Monroe Central) reached on an infield single with one out. Jacob then doubled to right and Huffman advanced to third base. Sophomore Emily McComb (Gnadenhutten/Indian Valley) drove in Huffman with an infield single to the right side and then Romick cleared the bases with a three-run home run to right center field. The home run was her third of the year and moved her into sole possession of the career home run record with eight.

The Pioneers finished with 13 hits, while the Purple Raiders had six in the opener. Jacob and McComb both finished 2-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI, while Romick, who added three RBI and two runs scored, and Driscoll, who scored once, were 2-for-3 in the win. Anna Horning (2-for-3) had a pair of hits in the loss.

Quintana (13-4) scattered four runs (three earned) on six hits in the complete-game victory. She walked two and struck out nine. On the year, Quintana has fanned 153 and walked just 18 in 111 1/3 innings.

Royer (18-4) suffered the loss after allowing 10 runs on 13 hits, walking two and striking out four in six innings.

DeMoss took the hill in the nightcap, looking to help the Pioneers sweep the Purple Raiders for the second straight year. She used her arm for the first six and a half innings and then her bat in the bottom of the seventh to propel Marietta to the 2-1 win.

Mount Union, who out-hit Marietta 7-4 in the contest, took a 1-0 lead in game two when it scored a run on a squeeze in the fourth.

Marietta tied the game in the bottom of the fifth. DeMoss opened the frame with a single before being lifted for sophomore pinch runner Courtney Reid (Canton/McKinley). Reid moved up to second base on a wild pitch and then scored on a RBI single by Faulkner. Faulkner was originally pinch-hit for by freshman Maggie Daubenmire (Thornville/Lakewood), but after the wild pitch she re-entered and delivered the key hit through the right side to tie the game at 1-1.

The score remained tied until the bottom of the seventh, when DeMoss drilled a pitch over the left field fence for the game-winner. The home run was her second of the year.

DeMoss, who finished 2-for-3, allowed just one run on seven hits in the complete-game victory. She struck out two and walked one while improving to 6-1 on the spring.

Katie Harmon (4-2) took the loss, giving up two runs on four hits while walking two and striking out three in six-plus innings.

Yackmack finished 3-for-3, while Courtney Frederick was 2-for-3 for Mount Union in game two.

Marietta will look to carry the momentum on the road with it Tuesday (Apr. 17) afternoon, when the team travels to Capital for a 3:30 p.m. doubleheader. The Crusaders, who have won nine of their last 10 games, are 18-10 overall and 7-1 in the OAC. They swept Heidelberg on Saturday.