Marist looked to extend their three-game winning streak against Siena on Wednesday. Game one easily belonged to Marist, with their bats coming alive in a dominating 13-6 victory.
Sophomore shortstop Dylan Hoy has experienced lots of ups and downs this season, but in the first game of the doubleheader, the infielder performed phenomenally, especially on the defensive side of the diamond. Hoy looked like a Gold Glove award winner, converting multiple dazzling plays in the field, including a crucial lineout double play to end a Siena scoring threat in the third inning.
“He [Hoy] does a really good job of solidifying our defense and kind of just going and getting the ball. It makes life easier on our pitchers and obviously, it’s fun to watch,” Tracz said.
The Marist bats were silent through three innings, however they broke out in the fourth inning and erupted in the fifth inning. Everyone in the lineup contributed, though redshirt senior Matt Rubayo truly had himself a day at the plate. The right fielder hit two home runs in the same inning – starting and capping off a 10-run onslaught of offense with two bombs and five runs batted in.
“His [Rubayo] two out hitting has been great. And today, he was able to pop a few and that got us going,” Tracz said. “When we get a little momentum offensively, it’s turned into some big numbers.”
Marist has had a knack for big innings and game one was a perfect example of what this team is capable of. Their pitching did nothing spectacular in game one, but got the job done and their massive lead allowed them to preserve their frontline relievers.
It was scoring galore all-day for the Red Foxes. Following a blowout win in game one, Marist put up another crooked number in game two in a 10-2 victory to complete the sweep.
The game appeared to actually be in Siena’s favor early, with them loading the bases with just one out in the first inning. However, despite the high duress situation, senior pitcher Trevor Backman did not fold under pressure – striking out the next two batters to escape the jam.
While Siena failed to capitalize in the top of the inning, Marist did not squander their chance in the bottom half. The Red Foxes got to work immediately, putting up a four-spot in the first inning, followed by another four-spot in the second. Before Siena could catch their breath, Marist was already out of striking distance.
“When guys start to feel comfortable and they’re seeing the ball well, it bodes well for us offensively,” Tracz said. “We can be pretty dynamic.”
After Rubayo’s offensive prowess highlighted game one, senior Robbie Armitage took command in game two. The third baseman hit two two-run home runs in the first two innings. Artimage, who was struggling earlier in the season, has started to heat up of late, hitting .400 (8/20) with a .538 OBP over his last six games.
“He [Artimage] had had some good at bats and didn’t get anything for it and I think now he’s just getting the barrel on it,” Tracz said.
Game two was another Marist bullpen game; however, unlike game one, this one went much smoother. Backman started the game and provided two scoreless innings. He was relieved by freshman Brian Yetter, who was the only pitcher to somewhat get roughed up, throwing a solid 2⅔ innings of two-run ball. Junior Zane Kmietek, redshirt senior Will Van Beusekom and sophomore Isaac Brown all followed and threw a combined 4⅓ scoreless innings to close out the game.
“Overall we pitched well, we pitched out of some jams and threw enough strikes,” Tracz said. “It was exactly what we needed.”
Marist will be entering their next series at Quinnipiac red hot. The Red Foxes have now won five games in a row and will return to action Saturday, May 15.
Edited by Nick Stanziale
Photo from Marist College Athletics