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VIERA, Fla. -- The Marietta College softball team is as hot as the Florida sunshine. The Pioneers improved to 9-0 on the season with two more wins Thursday. Marietta defeated Monmouth College, 4-1, and Wheaton College (Ill.), 4-0.
Freshman pitcher Camryn Kiefer (5-0) was nearly perfect in the win over Wheaton. She faced one batter over the minimum in the one-hit shutout. Kiefer struck out seven for her fifth win of her rookie season.
Marietta scored three runs in the third and then added an insurance run in the fourth. Liz White led off the third with a single and moved to second on a wild pitch. Following a flyout, Rachel Kazmirski lined a double to left easily scoring White.
Kazmirski moved to third on a wild pitch and Taylor Airy walked. Another wild pitch allowed Kazmirski to score and moved Airy into scoring position. Adisson Heath grounded a single through the left side of the infield bringing Airy around to score for a 3-0 Pioneer lead.
Emilie Johnson made it 4-0 when she led off the fourth with a triple to right center and scored on yet another Thunder wild pitch.
In the first game of the day, White led off with an infield single in the top of the first and was sacrificed into scoring position by Grace Elliott. Kazmirski followed with a single up the middle driving in White.
Monmouth tied the game in the third. Karliegh Ashby reached on a two-out single to left. Grace Wyman singled to left moving Ashby to second base. A wild pitch allowed Ashby to score the lone Scot run of the game.
The game remained tied at 1-1 until the top of the sixth inning. Aiyana Hancock had a one-out single and moved to second a sacrifice bunt from Jordan Cholley. Following a walk to White, Heath lined a pinch hit single to center scoring Hancock with the winning run.
The Pioneers added a pair of insurance runs in the seventh. Becca Streets led off with a single and was lifted for pinch runner Baylee Comer (Howard, Ohio/East Knox), who stole second. Katie Sweeney walked and was replaced by runner Lily Williams. Airy lined a single to center scoring Comer. On the play, Airy was thrown out trying to take second, but the play on Airy allowed Williams to score for a 4-1 Pioneer lead.
Monmouth went down in order in the bottom of the seventh.
Johnson started the game in the circle for Marietta. She pitched 2.2 innings and allowed one run on three hits with one walk and one strikeout. Hancock (2-0) worked 3.1 shutout innings for the win. She gave up two hits and struck out one. Kiefer pitched the seventh for her second save of the season.
Kazmirski, Streets, and Hancock each had two hits in the game for Marietta.
Marietta closes out its Florida trip on Friday with a single game against Monmouth at 10 a.m.