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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
Stonebraker
Isabella Eke
11
Winner Otterbein OTTSB 6-1
9
John Carroll JCUSB21 0-5
Winner
Otterbein OTTSB
6-1
11
Final
9
John Carroll JCUSB21
0-5
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Otterbein OTTSB 0 0 2 0 3 4 2 11 16 4
John Carroll JCUSB21 1 2 0 1 0 0 5 9 13 2

W: Jess Gunter (0-0) L: Eagle, Madison (0-2) S: Isabelle Fis (1)

12
Otterbein OTTSB 6-2
16
Winner John Carroll JCUSB21 1-5
Otterbein OTTSB
6-2
12
Final
16
John Carroll JCUSB21
1-5
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Otterbein OTTSB 4 6 2 0 0 0 0 12 17 0
John Carroll JCUSB21 4 0 7 3 2 0 X 16 18 0

W: DeBord, Katie (1-2) L: Jess Gunter (2-1)

Game Recap: Softball | | Joe Ginley '16, SID

Softball Splits with Cards Thanks to Incredible Comeback in Game 2

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio -- On a windy, cold home opener doubleheader on Sunday, John Carroll University Softball showed its character.

The Blue Streaks suffered an 11-9 loss for the Blue Streaks in the opening game after a fierce comeback attempt. With a large deficit in game two and the prospect of a 4-game sweep, some teams may have rolled over, but not the Blue Streaks.

John Carroll rallied from a 12-4 deficit to conquer the Cardinals, 16-12, in the second game. 

"Battling back from 12-4 is unbelievable," said Head Coach Nicole Loudin. "The best part about today is that everyone who had an opportunity to do something stepped up. We've talked a lot about our depth and we used it today."

Game 1 

After a tough sweep on Saturday, the Blue Streaks' offense delivered a punch to Otterbein early on.

Kristen Jesberger tabbed an RBI double to start the scoring in the first, and Gabby Hougan followed with an RBI double in the second. Emma Gurley kept the fun times rolling with an RBI basehit in the second. The Blue Streaks enjoyed a 3-0 advantage after two. 

Otterbein cut the lead by two-thirds with a Jess Gunter single to left field in th third. But Crista Nativio scored in the fourth on a Gurley groundout to extend the lead, 4-2.

The fifth and sixth innings did not prove to be kind to the Blue Streaks. The Cardinals snagged the lead in the fifth with a 3-run inning. The sixth frame saw Otterbein push the lead further thans to a Maria Herron homerun to right, along with a couple more runs. After six, Otterbein led, 9-4.

Otterbein clubbed another 2-run dinger in the seventh, pushing the margin to 11-4. Unfazed, John Carroll mounted a ferocious offensive attack, a sign of things to come in game two. Stonebraker, Hougan, Nativio, Sienkiewicz, and Bressoud all scored in a 5-run seventh inning. But the Blue Streaks fell two runs short, 11-9. 

Bressoud and Gurley each enjoyed 3-for-5, 2 RBI games at the plate. Sienkiewicz slashed 2-for-3 with 2 runs scored and a walk. Madison Eagle absorbed the loss after Katie DeBord started and gave JCU three innings, allowing 2 runs, both unearned. 

"That hitting is what they're capable of doing," Loudin said. "We've seen it in practice, they just needed to believe in a game. 

Game 2

In the second contest, Otterbein burst out for four runs to open the contest. While Otterbein scored early, the Blue Streaks did not allow the runs to discourage them, as they responded with 4 runs. 

Gracie Bressoud got things started with a bunt single and then a stolen base. Kristen Jesberger singled to right to plate Gurley after Bressoud was thrown out at third. A Mallory Stonebraker single to right scored Jesberger, and a Lauren Sienkiewicz singled to right field to score Lichota and Stonebraker for a 4-4 tie. 

A 6-run fourth inning for Otterbein hurt JCU greatly. Otterbein's offensive onslaught retook the lead and put the Blue Streaks in a 10-2 deficit. 

The Cardinals plated two more in the third, upping the lead to 12-6. John Carroll responded with offense of its own in the third with a gigantic rally. 

Jesberger got it started with a single down the right field line. Lichota doubled down the right field lin, scoring Jesberger. Stonebraker doubled to right center, plating two runs. The fun continued with a Bressoud RBI single, scoring Sienkiewicz not long after she singled. 

The offense rolled along with a Bressoud single to score Crista Nativio. Bressoud crossed home with an Emma Gurley single. Batting around, Jesberger reached on a hit again, this time a double to left center, playing Gurley and Kasyn Scarantine. A wild pitch scored the final run of an absolutely bonkers 7-run inning for JCU. Otterbein clung to a 12-11 lead entering the fourth frame.

Sienkiewicz walked to start the fourth, which turned the tides for the Blue Streaks. After a groundout, Nativio doubled to knot the game at 12. Bressoud tripled to score Nativio and retake the lead in a dramatic sequence. After a pitching change, Scarantine doubled to left center to score Bressoud. A pair of groundouts kept the score at 14-12. 

And of cours, John Carroll was not done. Mackenzie Stease absolutely obliterated the ball over the left center fence to score Serena Paterson and set the score at 16-12. 

Gurley reached third in the sixth, but Otterbein did not get a runner past first in the sixth or seventh. A nice double play in the sixth set the stage for a 1-2-3 seventh inning to end it. 

Katie DeBord got the win with 5 innings of beautiful pitching. She allowed just four hits and no runs, striking out two in an impressive effort.

"She did great after coming in cold," said Loudin. "We know we're going to put a lot on our pitchers because we have three of them. What Katie did to that offense is impressive. That's a very good team."

All but one JCU starter had a hit, and every batter had either a hit or a walk, as JCU finished with 18 hits and 6 walks. Bressoud and Jesberger each went 3-for-5 again with 2 RBI apiece. JCU smashed 5 doubles, a triple, and a homer in Game 2 in an amazing offensive effort. 

The Blue Streaks are now 1-5 on the year after scoring 16 runs or more in a game for the first time since March 1, 2010. They'll play Capital next weekend, on the road on Saturday and at home on Sunday. 

"I'm so proud of our team," said Loudin. "Everyone had great days."
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