Arbuckle eclipses 400 wins as Marietta softball sweeps host Otterbein 5-0 and 10-7
Pioneers extend win streak to 11 games

April 4, 2009
WESTERVILLE, Ohio — Marietta College Head Coach Jeanne Arbuckle became just the third softball coach in Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) history to reach 400 wins Saturday (April 4) afternoon, as the Pioneers swept a doubleheader against host Otterbein College. Marietta won game one 5-0 and then rallied to win game two 10-7 to extend its win streak to 11 games.

The Pioneers (18-6, 5-1) are now tied atop the OAC standings with rival Muskingum College (16-8, 5-1 OAC), which will visit Marietta Field on Tuesday (April 7) for a key doubleheader at 3:30 p.m. Fans can listen to the action on WMOA-AM 1490 and online at http://pioneers.marietta.edu/onlinebroadcasts.html. The Cardinals fell to 12-10, 1-5 in league play.

Arbuckle, who is in her 22nd year, entered the weekend needing one victory to reach 400 career wins, which have all come at Marietta. Senior Erin Faulkner (Wheelersburg) took the ball in the opener with the distinction of having won Arbuckle's 300th game against The Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts on March 14, 2006. That win came in Faulkner's first career start. Faulkner, who has developed into Marietta's ace over the last two seasons, secured her coach's 400th victory with a five-hit, complete-game shutout of Otterbein. She struck out three and did not walk a batter in the win, which moved her record to 8-3.

Marietta out hit Otterbein 11-5, and both teams made one error in the game.

The Pioneers jumped on the board with two runs in their first at-bat of the game. Senior Emily McComb (Gnadenhutten/Indian Valley) led off with a single. Sophomore Hope Cowoski (Perry) followed with a walk. Both came around to scored on a one-out single by freshman Brooke Baker (Wheelersburg). Marietta added a run in the third when Baker singled and later scored on a RBI single by junior Maggie Daubenmire (Thornville/Lakewood Hebron).

Cowoski, who finished 2-for-4, slugged her first career home run in the fourth to extend Marietta's advantage to 4-0. Baker singled for the third time in the game and scored on a McComb single, also her third of the game, in the sixth to cap the scoring for the Pioneers.

Senior Nikki Driscoll (Bellaire) also added two hits in the victory.

Marietta also took the early lead in the nightcap. Cowoski drew a one-out walk and scored on another single by Baker in the first. Otterbein received a two-run home run in the bottom of the first frame to take a 2-1 lead against sophomore starter Amanda Strong (Mineral Wells, W.Va./Parkersburg South).

The Pioneers tied the game with a run in the third when sophomore Cassady Busellato (Hilliard/Hilliard Davidson) walked and later scored on an error. The Cardinals regained a one-run lead later in the inning when they plated a run on a wild pitch.

Marietta took a 5-3 advantage with a three-run fifth. Daubenmire had a two-run single and eventually came around to score herself following a throw down to first base on a strikeout. The lead was short-lived, however, as Otterbein answered with three runs (one earned) in the bottom of the frame to regain the lead 6-5.

The Pioneers took the lead for good with a five-run seventh. McComb sparked the rally with a double, her fourth hit of the game and seventh of the day. Sophomore Ashley Eberhardt (Massillon/Tuslaw) drove in McComb with an infield single. Baker deposited a two-out pitch over the fence in left for her second home run of the season. Junior Katie Woolf (Louisville) extended the inning with single, and Driscoll capped it off with two-run home run over the scoreboard in center field, giving Marietta a 10-6 lead. Otterbein got a run on a leadoff home run but could not get any closer as Marietta won 10-7.

Faulkner (9-3) picked up the win with four innings of relief work. She scattered four runs (two earned) on six hits, overcame four walks and struck out two. Strong allowed three runs on three hits and walked one in three innings.

Marietta had a season-high 17 hits, while Otterbein finished with nine in the second game. Both teams made two errors.

McComb finished 4-for-5 and Driscoll was 3-for-4, while Eberhardt, Baker and Woolf all had two hits in the win.