It was simple math. Win two and the path would be wide open. Lose two and expect to climb uphill.

John Carroll landed in the middle.

A split with Mount Union Thursday at Bracken Field meant John Carroll was no longer in control of its own destiny as far as the Ohio Athletic Conference regular season title was concerned, but the Blue Streaks also kept themselves in the thick of the race.

Box Scores:  Game One  /  Game Two

JCU fell in game one by a 5-3 score, but rebounded nicely for a 4-3 victory in the second contest.

The Purple Raiders scored once in the first, three times in the second and once more in the third to open a 5-1 lead off starter Brittany Danilov. JCU scored two unearned runs in the bottom of the third, but stranded seven runners over the final four innings as the opportunity to comeback stalled.

Samantha Becker scored two of John Carroll's three runs.

In game two, it was all about the long ball. Mackenzie Griffin hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the first to extend her hitting streak to 16 games, and Danilov hit a two-run bomb in the fourth to give JCU a 4-0 lead.

Trisha Pike had a tremendous start, allowing just three Mount Union hits over the first six innings. She was one out away from a complete game shutout when the Purple Raiders finally got to her. Three consecutive hits, the third of which was a three-run homer, narrowed the Blue Streaks lead to 4-3 in the top of the seventh.

Morgan Robinson came and struck out the final Mount Union batter for her second save of the year.

JCU is now 21-9 overall and 9-3 in the OAC, while Mount Union moved to 18-12 and 10-4 in league play