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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
Brianna Callow in Game 1
Madison Zelinski
Brianna Callow earned her first career win in Game 1.
2
Oberlin OBES 4-6
18
Winner John Carroll JCUSB 5-5
Oberlin OBES
4-6
2
Final
18
John Carroll JCUSB
5-5
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Oberlin OBES 0 0 1 0 1 2 6 3
John Carroll JCUSB 6 2 9 1 X 18 10 1

W: Callow, Brianna (1-2) L: Alaina Di Dio (2-1)

10
Oberlin OBES 4-6-1
10
John Carroll JCUSB 5-5-1
Oberlin OBES
4-6-1
10
Final
10
John Carroll JCUSB
5-5-1
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Oberlin OBES 0 6 4 0 0 10 10 2
John Carroll JCUSB 3 1 2 4 0 10 11 1

Game Recap: Softball | | Joe Ginley '16, SID

Softball Snags A Win and a Tie in a Wacky Home Opening Series vs. Oberlin

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio -- If today's home opener was an omen of things to come the rest of the season for John Carroll Softball, then buckle in, folks. 

The return to Bracken Field was a wild one for the Blue Streaks.

In Game 1, the Blue Streaks' bats beat the ball to a pulp in an 18-1 win over Oberlin. JCU's 18 runs represented the most scored by the Blue Streaks at home since Walk Like an Egyptian topped the Billboard charts in 1987.

In Game 2, the Blue Streaks mounted a bonkers 6-run comeback, playing to a 10-10 tie with the Yeowomen after five innings, with darkness ending the game. The tie was just the second in program history, the first since Batman Forever was playing in theaters in 1995.

For context, today marked the 1,240th and 1,241st softball games in John Carroll history, and just the second tie. 

Yes, Thursday's home opening series was one to remember for the Blue Streaks.  

Game 1
The Blue Streaks wasted no time in revving up the offense. Kasyn Scarantine opened the bottom of the first with a hit by pitch. Alyssia Carmichael singled and Gabby Hougan got hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs. Kristen Jesberger knocked home the first run with a walk, and Mallory Stonebraker did the same for the 2-0 lead.

After Oberlin got an out, Jess Lichota slotted an RBI single and Kendall Trunzo walked for a couple more runs. After an Oberlin pitching change, Crista Nativio tallied a sacrifice fly for another run. A wild pitch sent another run scattering home. The Blue Streaks' 6-run jaunt ended thereafter, but there was more to come. 

In the bottom of the second, Gabby Hougan opened up with a well-hit double to left center. Two batters later, Maddie Traub clobbered a homer to up the JCU lead to 8-0.

After an Oberlin run in the top of the third, the JCU bats thundered in the bottom of the third. 

Trunzo walked, Nativio singled, and Trunzo walked to load the bases quickly. Alyssia Carmichael clobbered a double down the left field line to score Trunzo and Nativio. Hougan walked to load the bases again, and Jesberger slotted a sac fly to score Trunzo. Stonebraker then singled, upping the lead to 12-1 and leading Oberlin to call to the bullpen again.

The Yeowomen garnered a pair of outs, but then Oberlin committed a pair of errors to plate a couple more runs. Nativio knocked in a run on a groundout before Scarantine shot a single up the middle to plate two more runs. And at the end of a marathon third, the Blue Streaks possessed an insurmountable 17-1 lead.

A Trunzo RBI walk in the bottom of the fourth provided the final run of a historic rout for the Blue Streaks. 

John Carroll's 18 runs marked the most in any game since 2010, the highest total in the Nicole Loudin era. And it also marked the most runs in a home game since 1987. 

Nine different Blue Streaks successfully reached on a hit. Carmichael (2-for-4, 2 RBI) was the only to tally two hits. Scarantine, Stonebraker, Traub, Trunzo, and Nativio all notched 2 RBI. 

Brianna Callow earned the win, the first of her JCU career. She allowed just one earned run in 5 innings, striking out four. 

Game 2
Just like in the first game, the Blue Streaks didn't take their time getting the bats warm. Kasyn Scarantine started the frame with a single. Following a fielder's choice, Maddie Traub clipped a double down the left field line to set two runners in scoring position. Mallory Stonebraker walked to load the bases. All three runners would score. 

Serena Patero brought home two of the runners with a single to right. Lexie Genovese finished the fun with a single to third, setting JCU ahead 3-0 entering the second. 

The Yeowomen doubled JCU's damage in the top of two. The Yeowomen roared to a 6-run inning, bursting ahead, 6-3. 

John Carroll got a run back in the bottom of the frame. Crista Nativio doubled to left and then scored via an Alyssia Carmichael single, trimming it to 6-4.

Despite a JCU pitching change, Oberlin's offense didn't hit a pause. The Yeowomen plated four runs in the top of the third, stretching their advantage to 10-4. The outlook appeared bleak, but John Carroll managed to climb out of the hole.

The Blue Streaks chipped away at the deficit in the bottom of the third. With two outs, Lexie Genovese clobbered a ball over the fence in left center for one run. Carmichael then came up in the clutch again, with an RBI single to slim the score to 10-6. 

Danielle Orendi quieted Oberlin's bats in the fourth, allowing for a mammoth JCU comeback. The Blue Streaks loaded the bases with two walks and a single. An error allowed one run to score, then the Yeowomen turned to the bullpen. It didn't matter, as Nativio knocked in two runs on a marvelous single. A wild pitch then knotted up the game at 10-10 in wild fashion. 

With the sunlight fading fasts, the teams played a quick fifth inning. John Carroll did get a run aboard, but Oberlin ensured there would be no walkoff.  

The game marked only the second time JCU has played to a tie. The only other occurred on March 28, 1995, which was a 5-5 tie with Muskingum at home. 

Carmichael (2-for-4), Serena Paterno (2-for-3), Genovese (2-for-3), and Nativio (2-for-3) all managed multi-hit games. All four tallied a pair of RBIs. 

The Blue Streaks and Yeowomen combined for 40 runs in 10 innings, an average of 4 combined runs per inning. 

Speaking of Muskingum, the Blue Streaks will play the Fighting Muskies on Saturday for the Ohio Athletic Conference opener. The doubleheader will start at 1 pm. 
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