Seniors help Lady Pioneers clinch spot in OAC Softball Tournament with sweep at Wilmington
Quintana throws third no-hitter in four games, while Carroll and Romick hit a pair of home runs on the day

Apr. 27, 2007
WILMINGTON, Ohio — The No. 24 Marietta College softball team accomplished its first goal of the season Friday (Apr. 27), as a doubleheader sweep, 9-0 and 13-1, of host Wilmington secured the Lady Pioneers a spot in next week's four-team Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Tournament. Both games were cut short because of the eight-run rule.

Marietta, who improved to 27-7 overall and 12-4 in the OAC, got it done with its four seniors leading the way. Senior Kristen Quintana (Denver, Colo./Littleton) continued her dominance on the mound in game one by throwing her third no-hitter in four games. Senior Jessy Hutchison (Reynoldsburg), who has caught all three no-hitters, added two hits in the opener. Seniors Jenny Carroll (Lisbon/Beaver Local) and Lindsey Romick (Hannibal/River) both finished with four hits and clubbed two home runs in the twinbill. With the losses, Wilmington fell to 3-34, 0-16 in the OAC.

In the opener, Quintana (18-4) allowed just a pair of walks and struck out 14 on the afternoon. She became the school's all-time strikeout queen and has now collected 602 in her career. Quintana is now 57-25 with Marietta.

The Pioneers, who finished with 16 hits, struck for four runs in the first inning of game one. Junior Brandy Jacob (Wellington/Keystone) opened with a single and stole second. Sophomore Emily McComb (Gnadenhutten/Indian Valley) walked and Carroll loaded the bases with a single. After a Romick pop up, sophomore Nikki Driscoll (Bellaire) cleared the bases with a double. Driscoll later came around to scored on a Hutchison single to give Marietta a 4-0 lead after one at-bat.

Marietta added three more runs in the fifth. Carroll led off with a single and Romick followed with a RBI double. Driscoll then sacrificed Romick to third and sophomore Christina DeMoss (Bellville/Clear Fork) drove her in with a double. Hutchison reached on an infield single, before sophomore Erin Faulkner (Wheelersburg) delivered a RBI double to plate DeMoss.

The Pioneers completed the scoring in the sixth. McComb tripled with one out and scored on a Carroll sacrifice fly. Romick then smashed her fifth home run of the year, giving Marietta a 9-0 lead. The game ended after six because of the eight-run rule.

Faulkner went 3-for-3, while McComb, Carroll, Romick, Driscoll, DeMoss and Hutchison all joined the hit parade with two hits in the win.

Game two started just like the first, with Marietta plating four runs in its initial at-bat. Jacob led off with a walk and came around to score on three straight wild pitches. McComb also walked and then scored on a Carroll home run. Romick followed Carroll's blast with a home run of her own to give the Pioneers a 4-0 advantage.

Wilmington scored a run off DeMoss, Marietta's game-two starter, in its half of the first to make it 4-1.

The Pioneers then added four runs in the third. Romick was hit by a pitch to start the inning. Driscoll sacrificed her over to second. DeMoss then reached on an error, and Romick came around to score. Sophomore Courtney Reid (Canton/McKinley) pinch ran for DeMoss and stole two bases. After a Faulkner walk, freshman Katie Woolf (Louisville) drove in Reid with a single. Junior Krista Huffman (Woodsfield/Monroe Central) then got in on the fun with a two-run double to increase Marietta's lead to 8-1.

A Carroll walk ignited another four-run inning in the fourth. Romick followed with a double and Driscoll with a two-run single. Driscoll and pinch runner Maggie Daubenmire (Thornville/Lakewood) eventually scored on a wild pitches to make it 12-1 in favor of the Pioneers.

The game ended after five innings, but not before Carroll hit her second home run of the game in the top of the fifth. The home run was her team-leading eighth of the spring.

DeMoss settled down after the first inning and allowed just one run on four hits in the complete-game victory. The right-hander, who improved to 8-2, struck out six and walked two.

Marietta's offense had eight hits in the nightcap. Carroll and Romick both led the way with two hits and three runs scored.