Softball splits at John Carroll to clinch two-seed in OAC Tournament

The Muskingum softball team wrapped up its regular season with a doubleheader split at John Carroll on Saturday afternoon. The Blue Streaks won the opener 12-4 in five innings, and the Muskies took the nightcap, 5-3.

The Basics

• Records: Muskingum (27-12, 26-9), John Carroll (10-26, 10-24)
• Location: Bracken Field – University Heights, Ohio
• Attendance: 50

Notables

• Muskingum ends Ohio Athletic Conference regular-season play with a 26-9 record and will be the two-seed in the upcoming OAC Tournament. The tournament starts on Tuesday, May 11, with the three-seed hosting the six-seed and the four-seed hosting the five-seed. The Muskies will host a single-elimination second-round game on Thursday, May 13, at 4:00 p.m. The game will feature live video and stats on fightingmuskies.com and the OAC TV app. Muskingum's opponent will be determined after the opening round of the OAC Tournament on Tuesday. 

Inside The Numbers - Game 1

• Junior Katie Osburn led the Muskies with three RBIs and one double.
• Senior Shaena Mayer added two runs and walked twice.
• Junior Hannah Smith started the game and allowed three runs on five hits.
• Freshman Madelyn Thomas tossed the final 4.1 innings and allowed nine runs on 10 hits.
• Kasyn Scarantine and Kristen Jesberger led the Blue Streaks with three RBIs each.
• Madison Eagle garnered the win after allowing four runs on five hits.

Inside The Numbers - Game 2

• Junior Cristianna Boggs led the Muskies with three RBIs, one triple and one double.
• Senior Bailey Waitkus had two doubles, one RBI, and scored one run.
• Senior Francesca Stefano belted a solo home run to aid the Muskie effort.
• Senior Hannah Duff tossed a complete game and allowed three runs on four hits.
• Crista Nativio led John Carroll with two RBIs.
• Katie DeBord took the loss in the circle after allowing three runs on six hits in four innings of work.

The Difference - Game 2

• Muskingum scored three runs in the fourth inning with two outs to take the lead. Stefano put the Muskies up 1-0 with a solo home run. Back-to-back RBI doubles by Waitkus and Boggs gave the Muskies a 3-0 edge.
• Boggs tripled in the seventh to score Waitkus and then scored on a Blue Streak error to complete the Muskie scoring.
• John Carroll scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh with no outs before the Muskies retired three straight batters to end the game.

Up Next

• The Muskies will host a second-round OAC Tournament game on Thursday, May 11, at 4:00 p.m. The opponent is TBA.