Sam Thompson won two games on the mound and hit a home run in support of her own cause
Box Scores: Game 1 vs. Case Reserve / Game 2 vs. Case Reserve
John Carroll took full advantage of Case Reserve miscues, and cashed on the opportunities presented to claim a pair of victories over the host Spartans Thursday afternoon in non-conference softball action.
The Blue Streaks rallied from four runs down to win game one, 13-9, in nine innings. In the nightcap, JCU scored six runs in the final two innings to best Case Reserve, 7-1.
Case led 9-5 after five innings, but would not score another run the rest of the way. In the top of the sixth inning, Laura Boselovic smacked a double to score Sam Thompson, Jenny Eden singled home Staci Ziobert and an error on a ball put in play by Julie Marlowe scored Boselovic to pull JCu to within a single run at 9-8.
In the seventh inning, Thompson started things off with a double, then scored without the benefit of a hit. She would advance to third on a wild pitch, then scored on a passed ball to knot the score at 9-9.
Neither team scored in the eighth inning, but JCU would remove all drama in the ninth. Starting with a runner at second base according to international rules, the Blue Streaks would cross home plate four times while posting just one hit. Jamie Smrdel had a one-out single to put runners at the corners, but after that, it would be a defensive implosion by Case that led to the four runs.
Thompson, who would pick up the win as the pitcher, aided her own cause by going 2-4 with four runs and two RBI.
In game two, Thompson would throw a complete-game four-hit victory but it took a while to secure it.
After giving up a first inning run that tied the score at 1-1, Thompson would allow just three hits and zero runs the rest of the contest. The score would remain 1-1 until the top of the sixth.
Smrdel got things rolling with a leadoff double. Thomspon followed with a two-run home run to give JCU a 3-1 lead. For good measure, Jenn Nairne would drive in a third run in the inning with two outs, scoring Deyna Fanelli.
John Carroll put the game out of reach in the seventh. Smrdel again started matters well with a single. After Thompson reached on a single, Bethany Bachman would double home one run, after which Angela Vistocco drove in two runs on a well placed single.
John Carroll improves to 7-11 with the two wins, and has now run its current winning streak to five games in a row. Case Reserve falls to 8-14 with the losses.
