The Blue Streaks (22-10, 10-4 OAC) finally got a "weather window" and used about every minute of it this afternoon. The visiting Marietta Pioneers (18-13, 8-8 OAC) twice battled the Blue Streaks into 10-inning contests on Senior Day at Bracken Field. After a heart-breaking 2-1 setback in the opener, junior Erin Riccardi drove in a game-winning single in the bottom of the 10th to earn a hard fought series split with a 4-3 win in game two.

Box Score Game 1    Box Score Game 2

Marietta struck first in the first contest. In the top of the third, a two-out RBI single by sophomore Michelle Sayre put the Pioneers ahead 1-0.

The score remained 1-0 until the bottom of the sixth inning, when John Carroll finally pieced together back to back hits. Erin Riccardi smacked a two-out double to left-center field as part of a team-best 3-5 at the plate. Freshman Beckie Reid pinch-ran for Riccardi and scored immediately, thanks to an Olivia Matthews single to right.

The Streaks left runners on base in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings, but failed to bring home the go-ahead run.

In the top of the 10th, Marietta loaded the bases with two outs. An untimely walk by junior pitcher Brittany Danilov allowed the go-ahead run to score. John Carroll left runners on first and third in the home half of the inning when Matthews went down swinging, and the Streaks dropped game one.

Danilov fell to 13-7 on the year with the loss. In all 10 inings of work, she allowed two earned runs on seven hits, while striking out 11 and walking six. Her counterpart, sophomore Chelsea Chaffin, tossed ten innings to improve to 15-8. She surrendered the lone JCU run on eight hits while punching out six.

Marietta used their late-inning momentum from game one in the opening frame of the second affair. Freshman pitcher Trisha Pike surrendered four consecutive singles and allowed three runs before the inning came to a close. Fortunately, she was outstanding for the remainder of the contest. Over her next eight innings of work, Pike allowed only four runners to enter scoring position.

John Carroll answered with two, two-out runs in the bottom of the first. Senior Angela Vistocco singled home Riccardi and Matthews before being tagged out at second to end the inning, and JCU trailed 3-2.

Excellent pitching on both sides led to a nail-biting finish. In the bottom of the seventh, Danilov led off with a single to center field. She was sacrificed to second base by freshman Ally Kleinhans, where she was replaced on the basepaths by Reid after a Pike flyout.

Junior Michelle Murphy worked the count full for John Carroll before delivering an RBI double off the wall in left field. For the second straight game, Reid scored the game-tying run and John Carroll had a chance to win it in regulation. After Chaffin replaced junior Hazel Brogdon on the bump for Marietta, Blue Streak freshman Samantha Becker grounded out to second, sending the game to extra-innings with a 3-3 tie.

The teams combined to leave five runners stranded in the extra innings, until John Carroll finally broke through. Becker led off the tenth with a well-struck ball to right field that was dropped by senior Ashley Eberhardt, allowing her to reach second base. Becker reached third on a wild pitch before sophomore catcher Mackenzie Griffin pooped out to second base. That's when Riccardi decided it was time to head home for the holiday, as she sent her game-winning hit into right field.

Freshman Morgan Robinson (2-0) entered the game in timely fashion, earning the win in just one inning of work. Pike struck out six while allowing three earned runs through nine frames. Chaffin (15-9) was credited with the loss, working 2.2 innings. Marietta did not strike out a single Blue Streak hitter in game two.

Erin Riccardi finished the afternoon with a combined four hits (including the double), an RBI and a run scored in nine plate appearances. Olivia Matthews finished with an identical stat line.

With the split, John Carroll remains tied with Mount Union for second place in the conference standings. Both teams trail Ohio Northern (8-2) by two games.