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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
2022 SB Seniors
Kristen Jesberger, Crista Nativio, and Mallory Stonebraker all celebrated with great days at the dish. 
10
Winner Otterbein OTT-S 23-10
6
John Carroll JCUSB 13-15-2
Winner
Otterbein OTT-S
23-10
10
Final
6
John Carroll JCUSB
13-15-2
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 R H E
Otterbein OTT-S 3 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 10 16 1
John Carroll JCUSB 1 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 12 1

W: Jess Gunter (10-6) L: Orendi, Danielle (6-5)

5
Otterbein OTT-S 23-11
8
Winner John Carroll JCUSB 14-15-2
Otterbein OTT-S
23-11
5
Final
8
John Carroll JCUSB
14-15-2
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Otterbein OTT-S 0 0 1 2 0 0 2 5 14 1
John Carroll JCUSB 1 5 0 0 0 2 X 8 8 1

W: Callow, Brianna (6-5) L: Jess Gunter (10-7)

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

Softball Splits Senior Day with Otterbein at Bracken Field

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio -- It was a festive but bittersweet day for John Carroll Softball.

A tough pair of losses on Friday eliminated the Blue Streaks from postseason contention for the sixth straight season. But, the Blue Streaks found solace on Saturday in celebrating three outstanding seniors who have made a wonderful impact upon the program: Kristen Jesberger, Crista Nativio, and Mallory Stonebraker.

And confronting the Blue Streaks in the other dugout? The Otterbein Cardinals, led by none other than a former JCU assistant coach of eight years, Bruce Anderson. 

On a day filled with emotion, the Blue Streaks sent out their seniors in style. Following a 13-inning marathon in Game 1 that ended in a 10-6 defeat, the Blue Streaks roared back for a satisfying win in Game 2, 8-5. 

Game 1
The opening game of Senior Day was a marathon filled with ups and downs. Unfortunately the ending did go in favor of the Blue Streaks.

Otterbein opened up the game with a frenetic offensive effort in the top of the first. The Cardinals crossed three in the opening frame shortly after the Blue Streaks celebrated the team's seniors in a special pregame ceremony.

The Blue Streaks responded with a run in the bottom of the inning. Gracie Bressoud opened the inning with a single, then advanced to third on a stolen base and a Kasyn Scarantine single. A Kristen Jesberger squeeze bunt scored Bressoud, dropping the deficit to 3-1.

The second and third innings went quietly by before the Cardinals came alive again in the fourth. Otterbein upped the lead to 6-1, forcing Katie DeBord out of the game after four innings, so JCU brought in Danielle Orendi.

John Carroll chipped away at the lead in the sixth. Mallory Stonebraker walked, and Tora Walters entered as a pinchrunner. Walters got to second on a Kaylyn Odelli walk, and then Kendall Trunzo singled to juice the bases. A 2-run Bressoud single narrowed the deficit to 6-3.

Orendi dashed through the seventh, giving JCU a chance. With one out, Jesberger singled and Stonebraker walked. After a JCU strikeout, Serena Paterno stepped to the plate with 2 outs, representing the tying run. In clutch fashion, the sophomore from Kentucky blasted a bomb over the fence to tie the game at six runs apiece.

Paterno's first career dinger could not have occurred at a more perfect time, as her 3-run slam sent the game into extra innings.

The extra softball took the form of a chess match, as each team moved pieces but neither could gain the upper hand. Each team stranded a pair of runners over the course of the eighth, ninth, and tenth innings.

The 11th inning looked troublesome for the Blue Streaks. Otterbein got three quick baserunners with no outs, but then Orendi bore down. The Pittsburgh native burned through three straight outs, preventing any damage. Scarantine got aboard via a walk and Jesberger singled, but Otterbein also escaped. The 12th went much quicker, as each team went in order. 

Otterbein finally broke the scoreless extras in the 13th. The Cardinals plated four runs at last in the top of the 13th, and the Blue Streaks did not have a response. Orendi dropped to 6-5 on the year.

At the dish, Paterno played a starring role, hitting 3-for-5 with a walk and 3 RBI. Bressoud also finished the day quite well, tabbing a 3-for-7 day with a run and 2 RBI. 

With the victory, the Cardinals wrapped up a spot in the OAC Tournament in Bruce Anderson's first year with the reins at Otterbein. 

Game 2
John Carroll battled like heck in the backend of the twinbill to send the seniors out with a victory.

Kristen Jesberger started the fun in the bottom of the first, knocking in Gracie Bressoud. But the excitement accelerated in the second inning with a 5-run frame that broke the contest wide open.

An RBI single by Bressoud began the merriment. Nativio followed it up with a huge 2-run double to left field, extending the score to 4-0 JCU and chasing Otterbein's starter from the game. The very next batter, Jesberger clocked a 2-run double of her own to right, pushing the JCU advantage to 6-0. 

Otterbein scraped together a run in the third, but Brianna Callow stranded an Otterbein runner at second to end the damage. The Cardinals didn't stop there, though, pushing a pair across the plate in the fourth. 

But this day belonged to the Blue Streaks. After a quiet fifth, John Carroll padded the lead in the sixth. Maddie Traub got aboard via a 1-out single, and Kaylyn Odelli promptly brought her home, rocketing a 2-run moonshot for the 8-3 lead. 

And JCU almost needed the cushion. The Cardinals mounted a desperate comeback, beginning with a leadoff double. After a flyout, Otterbein managed to get one home via an RBI single. Another RBI single narrowed the JCU advantage to 8-5. But Callow was not to be denied, garnering two groundouts to wrap up the win. 

Callow got the win, finishing her freshman campaign with a 6-5 record. Nativio and Jesberger combined for 5 of the 8 RBI. Odelli also shined with a 2-for-3 day with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored.

John Carroll finishes the year with a 14-15-2 overall record, oh so close to the team's first winning record since 2015. JCU finished with a 7-10-1 record in OAC play. JCU has now ended each of the last five full seasons with a split in the final weekend of the regular season. 
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