When last seen walking off the diamond, the John Carroll softball team had just knocked off a nationally ranked opponent to claim its first Ohio Athletic Conference tournament title.

That was how 2010 ended, and it appears 2011 has started much the same way.

Not many teams can claim to beat a nationally ranked team to end one season and defeat another nationally ranked team to begin the next. But that was how the Blue Streaks were able to extend their current winning streak to eight games

In John Carroll's first two contests of the 2011 season, the Blue Streaks knocked off #11 Moravian College, 3-2, in extra innings, and then defeated DeSales University, 5-2, in the nightcap of the double-header.

In the first game at the National Training Center in Clermont, Florida, the Blue Streaks relied on the pitching of last year's First Team All-OAC pitcher, junior Brittany Danilov (Canfield, OH, Canfield), to limit the Greyhounds' potent offense.

Box Score

John Carroll got on the board first in the third inning, after junior outfielder Michelle Murphy (Erie, PA, Villa Maria Academy) scored from third on a passed ball with two outs.

The Streaks made it 2-0 in the top of the fifth when freshman infielder Samantha Becker (Roselle, IL, Lake Park) led off the inning with a triple and was then singled home by sophomore catcher Mackenzie Griffin (Lake Oswego, OR, Lakeridge). Griffin finished 2-3 with a sacrifice bunt on the afternoon.

After Moravian tied the affair with a two-RBI single in the home half of the fifth, the Blue Streaks needed some late-inning magic.

Magician Murphy rose to the ocassion. 

With two outs in the sixth and runners on second and third, Murphy made a full-extension diving catch to end the Greyhound threat and keep the game knotted at 2-2.

Seven innings would not be enough to decide John Carroll's fate, sending the game into the international tie-breaker.

After hitting a career-best .322 a year ago, senior infielder Angela Vistocco (Victor, NY, Victor) debuted the 2011 season with a two-hit effort from the dish. Her more notable hit of the afternoon came with Murphy standing on second to start the eighth. With two away, Vistocco ripped a single into the right-center field gap that pushed home the winning run.

Danilov took the circle in the bottom of the inning and quickly sent the three Moravian hitters back to the bench. She finished the eight-inning affair with 12 strikeouts and two walks while allowing only seven hits.

"This win really speaks volumes for our team," said assistant coach Kim Tackett after the game. "We wanted to show people early in the year that we can compete on a national level and we proved that right from the get-go today."

With multiple games being played at the complex throughout the day, the Blue Streaks didn't start their 7:30 game against DeSales until nearly 9:30. Fortuantely, the lay-over didn't seem to lull the JCU offense to sleep.

Box Score (coming soon)

John Carroll got things rolling in the third inning. As almost all 10 players batted in the inning, John Carroll would score three runs and take the lead for good.

The Bulldogs would answer with two runs off of freshman pitcher Trisha Pike (Perry, NY, Notre Dame Batavia), who was solid in her collegiate debut. Pike finished with four strikeouts and two runs allowed in two and one third innings of work and was given credit with the win.

In the top of the fifth, Matthews led off with a double and Vistocco reached safely on an error. In her first collegiate at bat, freshman Ally Kleinhans (Washington, PA, McGuffey ) singled home Matthews from second. John Carroll added another insurance run in the sixth inning on a Vistocco RBI single.

Once again, Danilov was brilliant. After replacing Pike on the mound in the third inning, Danilov allowed only a single hit the rest of the game as John Carroll cruised to victory.