Marist softball opened MAAC conference play at home on Friday afternoon with a double header against Quinnipiac. The day began at 36 degrees Fahrenheit but Marist (20-8, 2-0 MAAC) got off to a hot conference start against the Bobcats (9-8, 0-2 MAAC), taking game one 7-1 and game two 2-0.
Graduate student pitcher Kiley Myers and freshman pitcher/outfielder Anna Sidlowski both pitched complete games; junior infielder Ronni Howard homered in game one and senior utility Miah McDonald homered in game two.
“[Myers and Sidlowski], in my opinion, are the best in the MAAC. They’re absolutely great, they have great attitudes, they spin the ball extremely well and they hit their spots,” said Howard.
McDonald gave the Red Foxes early momentum, snagging a line drive at short followed by a strong throw to first, converting a first-inning double play.
In the bottom of the first, sophomore outfielder Peyton Pusey led off with a triple. The triple extended Pusey’s hit streak to seven games while recording a hit in 24 of her 27 games started. McDonald snuck a ball past junior second baseman Brooke Hilliard to score. Pusey, giving the Red Foxes an early 1-0 lead.
Redshirt sophomore infielder Haley Ahr slapped a single to right field, tacking on an additional run, but with no outs. Reigning MAAC Pitcher of the Week junior Jaclyn Gonzalez stranded runners on second and third to end the first.
The Red Foxes were on the prowl to bounce back from a 12-11 extra-inning heartbreaker against St. Mary’s while Quinnipiac traveled to Poughkeepsie coming off a loss against Boston College and a split against Hampton University, who Marist handily beat in three games.
“Even though we lost our last three coming into this one, it was against tough competition. I think that definitely prepared us for today,” said head coach Joe Ausanio.
McDonald displayed more elite defense in the top of the third; with sophomore outfielder Noelle Reid on third, McDonald looked the runner back and threw to first. Reid charged home on McDonald’s throw but Ahr threw her out to complete the second double play of the day, ending the inning.
In the bottom half of the third, Gonzalez once again found herself in trouble, loading the bases with one out. Howard stepped into the box and sent a ball over the left-field fence for a grand slam, extending the lead to 7-0 and forcing Gonzalez out of the game.
“I knew that [my teammates] were going to be with me the whole entire time and I knew that I had to trust myself. I know that they trusted in me, so I used that to power my home run,” said Howard.
Myers matched the offensive surge with a stellar performance of her own in the circle. The graduate student coasted through six, giving up no runs before allowing two in the seventh. She recorded her fourth strikeout to finish the 7-1 victory and record her eighth win of the season.
The two-time MAAC Rookie of the Week, Sidlowski, took the circle to start game two for Marist facing off against junior pitcher Sydney Horan.
“As a freshman, [Sidlowski] has really stepped up and taken the bull by the horns. Kiley [Meyers] and her are a great one, two-punch we have going right now,” said Ausanio.
McDonald got on Horan in the first with a no-doubt blast to center field. The first-inning homer put Marist in front 1-0, tying McDonald’s season-high home run total at seven. Junior utility Maddie Pleasants followed McDonald with a double off the fence but Horan kept the Red Foxes at bay, striking out two and keeping the game at 1-0 after the first inning.
Both teams remained quiet until Ahr and McDonald reached safely in the bottom third, bringing senior utility Alyssa Grupp to the plate with two outs. Grupp turned on a pitch, singling to right and scoring McDonald from second to add a run to Marist’s lead.
Much like Myers in game one, Sidlowski coasted through seven innings while fielding her position, tallying five assists. McDonald one-upped Sidlowski with six assists of her own while Howard accounted for four.
“I know I’m not a strikeout pitcher so I have to rely on my defense. They do a really good job and make spectacular plays, I wouldn’t be winning as much if I didn’t have such great backup,” said Sidlowski.
Horan struck out seven in six innings pitched, including two in the bottom of the sixth but Sidlowski stood strong, finishing off her fourth complete-game shutout and earning her ninth win of the season in a 2-0 Marist victory.
“We wouldn’t be winning if we weren’t all playing together and for each other, so it’s been a really good season so far,” said Sidlowski.
The Red Foxes will finish the final game of the series against Quinnipiac on Sunday. The game is scheduled for a noon start but could be pushed back due to field conditions.
Edited by Cara Lacey
Graphic by Cara Lacey; Photo from Marist Athletics
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