Lady Owls trade blowouts with Garden City

GARDEN CITY -- Marshall split a doubleheader Tuesday at summer softball league foe Garden City, neither game going the distance due to the mercy rule.

The Lady Owls won the opener, 15-3 in five innings, before dropping a 17-2 four-inning contest in the nightcap.

Marshall opened the evening with a six-run first inning, scoring all of them without a hit due to five walks and four hit batters. The Lady Owls were blanked over the next three frames, but racked up nine runs in the fifth on seven walks, a hit batter and three hits: a double by Vallory Smeltser and singles from Raha Shahabzada and Abby Crawford.

Shahabzada got the win for Marshall, allowing only three hits and no earned runs while pitching a complete game.

Garden City banged out 13 hits in the late game, getting two runs in each of the first two innings before going on a nine-run rampage in the third -- aided by seven free passes and four hits. Four runs came in during the fourth stanza to end the game due to a 15-run spread.

The Lady Owls (3-3) tallied both of their runs in the third, getting singles from Hayley Campbell and Bre Varner -- both of whom came around to score.

Marshall will be at home Saturday to face Kingsville.