ALLIANCE — The Marietta College softball team was eliminated from the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament Thursday at Mount Union.

The Pioneers opened the day with a 3-2 loss to Baldwin Wallace before falling 8-0 to Muskingum in an elimination game.

After a scoreless top half of the first inning vs. the Yellow Jackets, Marietta was able to get their first batters on base. Taylor Watts reached on an error and Camryn Campbell walked. Both runners advanced when Rachel Kazmirski flied out, but could get no further as Jillian Middleton and Jess Brown both struck out to end the inning.

The Yellow Jackets got on the board in the third in the third inning. Breanna Zirkle came in to relieve Pioneers starter Kazmirski and gave up two singles. After Macaria Fox walked, Steph Mraz singled down the left field line to plate two runs. Marietta got out of the inning on a double play where, after making the catch, Watts threw out Fox at third base.

Marietta tied it up in the bottom half of the inning when Kazmirski doubled home a run and then scored on a Haylee Mott single.

In the top half of the sixth inning, Jillian Middleton, in her second inning of relief, faced BW’s Bridie Bricker. Bricker reached base on an error and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. Lucia Wolford then came up and singled up the middle, driving home the go-ahead run. Marietta was retired in order in the final two inning and took the opening round loss.

Middleton (11-5) took the loss. She gave up one unearned run on three hits in four innings. Kazmirski worked the first two innings and gave up no runs and no hits. Zirkle gave up two runs and three hits in her lone inning of work.

Marisa Hall (13-6) went the distance in the circle for the Yellow Jackets. Hall gave up two runs on four hits with two walks and nine strikeouts in seven innings.

GAME 2

After losing their opening round matchup earlier in the day, the Marietta College softball team battled Muskingum in the loser’s bracket elimination game.

The Fighting Muskies jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when Haley Hawk singled home two runs. Carlee Lamacz homered to lead off the second inning and Cara Taylor tripled home two more runs to give Muskingum a 5-0 lead after two innings. The Muskies plated three more runs in the third to put some pressure on the Pioneers to score or face the eight-run rule.

Marietta’s Jillian Strecansky led off the fifth inning with an infield single and was advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. She would be left stranded there as Taylor Watts and Rachel Kazmirski would fly out and Muskingum would claim the run-ruled victory.

Kazmirski (1-6) started for the Pioneers and was tagged with the loss. She gave up two runs in 0.1 innings of work. Jillian Middleton came in and worked 1.1 innings of relief. She gave up three runs on five hits. Breanna Zirkle came on in relief and pitched a total of 1.1 innings, giving up three runs on three hits. Amelia Timko closed the game with one scoreless inning of work.

Marietta moves to 24-15 on the season and will now have to wait and see if they will receive an at-large bid into the NCAA national tournament. The selection show will take place on Monday at 1 p.m.