MARIETTA -- Fighting for a spot in next week's Ohio Athletic Conference tournament, the Heidelberg University salvaged a split at Marietta College on Saturday. The Student Princes lost the opener in heart-breaking fashion, falling in extra innings, 10-9. HU controlled the nightcap early on, winning 12-6.
At 14-19 in OAC action, Heidelberg is in a log jam. The Student Princes are one of four teams hunting for the last two spots in the six-team tournament. Seeding is based on a formula which factors in a team's winning percentage and its opponent's composite winning percentage.
Kat Brady had six hits on the day and scored six runs.
Emma Dean had five hits and seven RBI.
GAME ONE: MAR 10 BERG 9 (8 innings)
Kat Brady singled to lead off the game and later scored on a base hit by
Brooke Lewis, staking The Berg to an early lead. Marietta, though, took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the first.
In her 140th collegiate game,
Leah Bouillon hit her first home run to lead off the second. The solo shot brought HU to within one.
Brady singled in the third and scored on a single to center by
Shelby Miller -- tying the game at 3.
In the fourth,
Riley Cruse singled to left, then advanced on a wild pitch and a sacrifice bunt. She scored on a single by
Maddie Gossard. HU tacked on two more runs in the inning, taking advantage of two errors. The Berg led 6-3.
Marietta would take the lead in the fifth with a five-run outburst.
Undaunted, HU knotted the game in the sixth. Brady and
Halie Monhollen singled with two outs, then scored on yet another Pioneer error.
The game remained tied into the eighth. Monhollen drew a two-out walk, then stole second.
Emma Dean sent a single up the middle that scored Monhollen with the go-ahead run.
In the bottom of the eighth, the first two Pioneer hitters were retired, but three straight singles allowed the hosts to walk off with a critical 10-9 win.
GAME TWO: BERG 12 MAR 6
Brady pulled a single to start the nightcap, then stole second. She scored on a single by Dean, who then scored on a double by Lewis. Bouillon drove in the third run of the inning with a base hit up the middle.
HU tacked on two more in the second. Gossard was hit by a pitch and Brady singled. The pair advanced on a Monhollen groundout, then scored on a single to left by Dean -- her third straight RBI at bat.
After Marietta scored a run in the bottom of the second, HU added three in the third. The Berg only had two hits in the frame, but Marietta committed four errors in the inning.
Ahead 8-3 in the fifth, Heidelberg scored another run on a single down the left field line by Monhollen.
Up 9-3 in the top of the seventh, Dean continued her big day with a three-run double to left center. The three runs proved useful, as Marietta plated three of their own in the bottom of the frame.
Kailyn Kroll earned her first career victory, throwing 4.1 innings and striking out a pair.
UP NEXT:
Who knows? The weather forecast does not look promising for Sunday. But with the OAC Tournament looming next week, Sunday's games are not able to be postponed. The games have been pushed back to a 3:30 p.m. start time … hopefully. Updates will be posted at BergAthletics.com.
