With two outs in an inning, hitters can feel the pressure to muster up offense. When John Carroll softball was faced with that situation on Sunday afternoon, the Blue Streaks answered time after time.
JCU outscored the Wilmington Quakers 16-3 in a doubleheader sweep, with 12 of those coming with two outs.
GAME ONE
After a long drive, the John Carroll bats did not need time to warm up in the 9-3 victory.
The first inning set the tone, as solo back-to-back blasts to left field from
Carly Simecek and
Alyssa Coleman gave JCU an early 2-0 lead.
After Wilmington scored twice in the second, JCU went to work again.
Hannah Mizener set the table with a one-out triple. After a Simecek walk,
Christie Wade drove in both runs on a left-center double. The next batter,
Angie Zappitelli, also singled to left field, making the score 5-2.
Coleman crushed her second home run of the day in the fifth inning, pushing the ball over the center field fence.
In the seventh, JCU piled on, using a Simecek single, fielding error and sacrifice fly by Zappitelli to cap the scoring at 9-3.
Coleman and Simecek both went 2-for-3. Coleman, Wade and Zappitelli each drove in two runs. On the mound,
Brianna Lach (3-3) allowed three runs, but on just five baserunners.
GAME TWO
In the second game, neither team jumped out to a lead early, but JCU finished the Quakers late, scoring four in the seventh on the way to a 7-0 victory.
AnnMarie Kirchner (5-3) held the Quakers scoreless in a complete game effort, allowing four hits and four walks.
Wade and Zappitelli each drove in a pair of runs in the victory. Coleman followed up her two home runs with a pair of doubles, and Zappitelli added the fourth JCU home run of the day.
A wild pitch started off the scoring for JCU in the fourth. In the fifth, Simecek brought home
Taylor Tercek with an RBI single through the right side. Coleman followed it with a ground-rule double to left field that scored Mizener.
In the seventh, Wade singled up the middle, with scored Mizener and Tercek. She was not on base long, as Zappitelli left WC Stadium Complex with a two-run blast.
An error and bunt left a runner in scoring position in the seventh, but Kirchner closed the door for the win.
Coleman finished the doubleheader with a 4-for-7 mark at the plate, with two doubles, two home runs and three RBI. Wade was 2-for-6, but added four RBI. Zappitelli was 3-for-6 with four runs batted in of her own. Simecek's four hits tied the team-high.
JCU improves to 10-10 on the year and 4-4 in OAC play. Wilmington drops to 8-12, and winless in six OAC games.
