Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
The John Carroll softball team snagged a pair of wins over the Wilmington Quakers in JCU's first appearance at Bracken Field in 2013, as the team's pitchers limited Wilmington's hitters to four runs off ten hits on the day.

Rachel Byrnes willed the Blue Streaks to victory in the first game of the doubleheader, pitching a two-hit shutout in a 2-0 victory. The Quakers managed more runs in the second game of the day, but the result was the same, as JCU picked up a 6-4 triumph.

“Collectively, our pitching staff did well. That's actually a really good hitting team,” JCU head coach Erin Brooks said. “Any sweep in the OAC is a good thing.”

Such a good thing that, at the end of the day's action, the Blue Streaks find themselves in a first place tie atop the OAC leaderboard with Mount Union and Marietta -- all with 5-1 league marks.

In the first game of the afternoon, Byrnes struck out seven Wilmington hitters, stymying one after another. The sophomore didn't allow any Quaker baserunners to advance past second base. Star senior catcher Mackenzie Griffin stayed hot at the plate, hitting two for three. Griffin's first hit gave the Blue and Gold an early 1-0 lead, as her single to right field knocked in the team's lead-off hitter, Sam Becker. The junior second baseman scored again in the second, crossing the plate after Wilmington pitcher Danielle Monnier committed an error on Erica Chiduioni's ground ball up the middle.

Though the Blue Streaks put runners on base in the third and fourth, the offense could not take advantage of their opportunities, stranding four runners. But it would not matter, as two runs would be all the Blue and Gold would need, thanks to Byrnes' performance on the mound.

The second half of the double header involved a little more scoring. JCU went on the offensive early, as Samantha Becker and Erica Chiudioni each notched singles in the bottom of the first. Colleen Brady soon knocked in Becker with a drive to right center field, but Wilmington hurler Jess Clutter stopped the bleeding there. Quakers' third baseman Caitlin Schilling soon got the run back, as she slammed a solo shot over the center field wall in the top of the second.

The Blue Streaks answered in the latter half of the inning.

Becker tagged a two-run double, allowing the Blue and Gold to quickly regain the lead. A three-run fourth inning upped the JCU advantage to five, as a combination of clutch hitting and mental mistakes by Wilmington's defense allowed the Blue Streaks to gain control of the game.

But the Quakers would not go down easily.

Wilmington's Schilling crushed a three-run blast in the fifth to narrow the JCU lead to two. The Quakers threatened again in the sixth stanza, but Blue Streaks reliever Trisha Pike worked her way out of the jam. The JCU pitcher sent two Wilmington batters packing before the Quakers made the game interesting. But Pike stayed calm and finished off Megan Rachford to seal the game for the Blue and Gold.

With the pair of wins, the Blue Streaks advance to 13-5, 5-1 in the OAC on the year. JCU will face off with Mount Union next on Tuesday in Alliance, Ohio for a doubleheader starting at 3 pm.