During the preseason, John Carroll head coach Erin Brooks would take a deep breath when scanning over the schedule of games that the Blue Streaks would play while down at the National Training Center Spring Games. The list of ten opponents featured eight teams that recorded at least 20 wins a year ago and three teams that qualified for the NCAA Division III tournament.

Brooks can now exhale following an opening four games in which John Carroll posted four wins and outscored its opponents, 49-2.

Box Scores (coming soon): vs. Rose-Hulman  /  vs. Marywood  /   vs. Mary Washington  /  vs. Lycoming 

John Carroll began its trip with a 4-0 shutout of Rose-Hulman on monday. Behind the pitching of 2009 Ohio Athletic Conference Rookie and Pitcher of the Year Brittany Danilov, the Blue Streaks made the most of their five hits. Julie Marlowe led off the game -- and season -- witha  triple and scored the first run of the contest when Erin Riccardi drove her in.

Natalie Rose had a pinch hit two run single in her collegiate debut to help JCU pull away for the win.

In the nightcap, everyone got into the act as JCU pounded out 20 hits in a 22-0 rout of Marywood -- a team that was 27-11 in 2009 and would hold #2 ranked Ohio Northern to just three runs the following day. Angela Vistocco went 4-4 with three RBI as part of the offensive outburst, while Rose and Samantha Thompson combined on a two-hit shutout over five innings.

On Tuesday, after several hours of rain pushed back the schedule, Danilov would once again take the mound and dominate Mary Washington in a 10-1 victory. In five innings, she allowed one run on six hits while her offense backed her up with ten runs on nine hits. Riccardi went 2-2 on the day with a double and a home run, and Michelle Murphy homered as well.

In the final game Tuesday evening, JCU needed just five innings once again to cruise to a 13-1 win over Lycoming. Thompson pitched 4 innings and Rose pitched the fifth and allowed just one run and three hits.

The offense stayed red hot as Riccardi went 3-3 (two singles and a double) and Vistocco went 2-4 (two singles) as part of a 15-hit outburst. The game also featured sparkling defenive plays by Marlowe and Laura Boselovic, who both made catches that prevented extra bases.

JCU's final six match-ups at the NTC Games are against teams that were a combined 163-89 in 2009. After a day off Wednesday, Brooks may once again draw a deep breath.