Box Scores:  Game 1 vs. Wilmington  /  Game 2 vs. Wilmington

At the beginning of the past week, the John Carroll softball team had figured out a plan to climb back into the race for an Ohio Athletic Conference playoff berth: Sweep its next three league opponents.

The plan nearly worked. John Carroll did get back into the playoff hunt, but the bid to sweep all three teams fell short of its stated goal by a single run.

In action Sunday at the Wilmington College softball complex in Wilmington, Ohio, John Carroll cruised to a 9-1 win in the opener only to fall by a 7-6 score to the host Quakers in the second contest.

JCU now stands with an overall record of 15-17 and a league mark of 9-5 -- two games clear of sixth place Marietta (whom it will visit on Saturday, April 26) and one game-behind current third place inhabitants Capital (whom JCU split with on April 9), Ohio Northern (whom John Carroll split with on March 30) and Mount Union (whom JCU will host Wednesday).

In the opener against Wilmington, John Carroll only failed to score in two of its seven innings. The Blue Streaks would score once in the first, twice in the third, two more times in the fourth, once in the sixth and three times in the seventh to build a 9-0 lead.

The offense was supplied by Julie Marlowe, Jamie Smrdel and Staci Ziobert, all of whom had three hits in the game. Marlowe would also cross home plate for four of the Blue Streaks' nine runs.

All the offense supported a gem of a game pitched by Sam Thompson, who allowed just one unearned run (in the bottom of the seventh) on two hits, striking out four while walking just two.

The Quakers got off to a faster start in game two by putting up an unearned run on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second inning for a 1-0 lead.

JCU responded by scoring three times in the top of the third. Marlowe had an RBI single, after which Jenn Nairne drove in two runs more runs on her base hit that inning.

The Streaks still held a 4-2 lead entering the bottom of the sixth inning. Reliever Ashley Lippert, who had been brilliant since entering the game in the second inning, started the frame by recording her seventh strike out.

Then, the bottom fell out.

A double, then an error, then a single loaded the bases. Lippert would depart as Thompson would make her way in. After surrendering just two hits over the entirety of game one, Thompson would get touched up for three straight hits against the first three batters she faced. Two run producing singles tied the game at 4-4.

The dagger was provided by Wilimgton's Franny Spangler, who was pitching for the Quakers. She aided her own cause with a bases-clearing double that pushed the home team ahead, 7-4.

John Carroll attempted to respond in the top of the seventh. Smrdel drilled a two-run home run with one out to bring the Streaks to within 7-6, but Spangler retured the final two JCU batters to end the game.

By going 5-1 over the past week, John Carroll still has the opportunity to control its postseason destiny with four games remaining.