MARIETTA, Ohio -- The Mount Union softball team split a doubleheader with Marietta, winning the first game 9-5 in 10 innings and falling 11-3 in game two, during Ohio Athletic Conference play.

Down 5-3 in the seventh inning of Wednesday's opener, the Purple Raiders staged a two-out rally to force extra frames.

Kristen Gromes (Navarre/Fairless) was hit by a pitch and Marissa Earl (Massillon/Massillon Washington) reached on an error, setting the stage for RBI singles by Shelby Carmichael (Dalton/Dalton) and Mara Palombaro (Boardman/Cardinal Mooney).

Mount Union took command with four runs in the 10th. Brenna Longo (Moon, Pa./Moon) and Brittany Papp (Uniontown/Green) connected for one-out singles; Papp's drove in Jill Rader (Ashland/Ashland), who started the inning on second base via international tiebreaker.

After Gromes reached on an error, Earl smashed a three-run double, plating Gromes, Papp and Rachel Jesso (Mount Pleasant, Pa./Mount Pleasant). Earl's hit forged the game's final score.

The Purple Raiders never led until the 10th.

Michelle Sayre connected for a two-run homer, putting Marietta ahead 2-0 in the first.

The Raiders answered with a pair of runs in the third. Papp led off with a single and Gromes and Earl worked one-out walks before Carmichael and Palombaro plated runs with a hit-by-pitch and sacrifice fly, respectively.

The Pioneers used the long ball to their advantage in the fourth as Sayre, Trayla Liles and Cassady Busellato connected for solo homers.

Palombaro hit a solo home run of her own in the sixth.

Bre Willis (Navarre/Fairless) was the winning pitcher, weathering a 16-hit storm. She recorded 11 strikeouts and three walks.

Palombaro finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs and Papp went 2-for-5 with two runs. Gromes doubled and scored three times and Rader doubled.

Sayre batted 4-for-5 for Marietta while Marissa McDaniel went 3-for-5.

Chelsea Chaffin was the losing pitcher, finishing with three strikeouts and three walks.

In the nightcap, the hosts used a six-run second to build an 8-0 lead.

After capitalizing on a Mount Union error in the first, Marietta got a sacrifice fly from Katie Swejk, a two-run single by McDaniel and then a three-run homer from Sayre.

The hosts scored their eighth run with a McDaniel sac fly in the third.

Mount Union scratched across two runs in the fourth. Rader walked and Jesso was hit by a pitch to set the stage. Gromes drove in Rader with a single and Jesso scored on a wild pitch.

Home runs figured into the game's final four runs: Ashley Eberhardt in the fourth for Marietta, Palombaro for the Raiders in the fifth and then Sayre's fourth one of the day -- a two-run bomb -- to end the game in the fifth.

Gromes batted 2-for-3 for Mount Union.

Rachel McAninch (West Jefferson/West Jefferson) suffered the loss. She had two strikeouts and one walk. Sarah Woody (Uniontown/Green) pitched two frames in relief.

Sayre's 2-for-4, five-RBI game led the Pioneers. Maureen Kertes went 3-for-3 in support of winning pitcher Hazel Brogdon.

Mount Union 9, Marietta 5
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Mount Union......... 002 001 200 4 -  9 11  2      (12-7, 4-1 OAC)
Marietta............ 200 300 000 0 -  5 16  2      (13-7, 3-2 OAC)
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Pitchers: Mount Union - Bre Willis and . Marietta - Chaffin and .
Win-Bre Willis(7-3)  Loss-Chaffin(12-5)

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Marietta 11, Mount Union 3
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Mount Union......... 000 21 -  3  6  3      (12-8, 4-2 OAC)
Marietta............ 161 12 - 11 14  0      (14-7, 4-2 OAC)
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Pitchers: Mount Union - Rachel McAninch; Sarah Woody(3) and . Marietta - Brogdon and .
Win-Brogdon(2-0)  Loss-Rachel McAninch(4-4)