The Wilmington College softball team committed seven errors, including five in the opener, and the Fightin' Quakers dropped a pair of Ohio Athletic Conference games to John Carroll. The Blue Streaks took the opener, 4-3, and then exploded for the 12-2 win in the nightcap.
Wilmington (5-17 overall, 1-3 OAC) returns to action 3 p.m. Tuesday, traveling to Ohio Northern in an OAC doubleheader.
GAME ONE: JOHN CARROLL 4, WILMINGTON 3
The Blue Streaks scored an unearned run in the sixth inning to record the 4-3 win. With one out, Mikki Vance hit a fly ball to right, that was dropped for a three-base error. An unsuccessful squeeze attempt pulled WC one out closer to escaping the damage, but a bloop single to right brought home the winning run.
Wilmington had its chances, but committed five errors in the contest, and had three straight innings end with double plays.
John Carroll opened the scoring with three straight two-out hits to plate a pair of runs.
The Fightin' Quakers ran into some misfortune as sophomore Kerri Trautman (Hartville, OH/Field) hit a ball that slipped under the right-field fence for a ground-rule double. Freshman Savannah Hooper (Leesburg, OH/Wilmington) scored, and junior Megan Warren (Grove City, OH/Grove City), who would have scored the tying run, went back to third base. JCU got out of the inning as Warren was out at third, following a line out by senior Jess Clutter (Englewood, OH/Northmont).
Junior Jessie Stewart (Fredericktown, OH/Highland) singled home the tying run in the fourth, and Wilmington had runners on second and third with one out. However, the inning came to an end as Stewart was doubled off second following a line out by Hooper.
JCU regained the lead in the top of fifth, but Trautman's RBI single knotted the game. However, Trautman was doubled off first on a liner by Clutter to end the inning.
Trautman finished 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI, while senior Allie Noggle (Ashville, OH/Teays Valley) was 2-for-3.
Freshman Beth Persicano (Knoxville, TN/Cincinnati Turpin) look the loss (2-10), allowing four runs (three earned) on eight hits in seven innings of work. She added eight strikeouts with two walks.
GAME TWO: JOHN CARROLL 12, WILMINGTON 2
John Carroll scored four runs in each of the first three innings to post the 12-2 win.
Starter Sarah Maraan (Cincinnati, OH/McAuley) allowed eight runs (five earned) in one inning of work. She added one strikeout.
Trautman singled to open the fourth inning, and moved to third on back-to-back wild pitches. She scored WC's first run on a ground out by freshman Emily Smith (Bellbrook, OH/Bellbrook). Freshman Whitney Edwards (Frankfort, KY/Franklin County) added an RBI single in the fifth inning, scoring sophomore Sydney Kelly (Cincinnati, OH/Sycamore.
Hooper, sophomore Olivia Bauer (Willard, OH/Willard) and sophomore Ashley McCray (Vandalia, OH/Butler) all had hits for Wilmington.