Two Marist softball cornerstones, junior utility Maddie Pleasants and graduate student Kiley Myers, carried the load during a Saturday afternoon 6-1 rubber match win against Niagara University.
The Red Foxes (23-9, 4-1 MAAC) and the Purple Eagles (10-12, 3-3 MAAC) spilt Saturday’s doubleheader, but Marist maintained full control of the final game, taking their second straight MAAC series.
Just like game one of the series, the game remained scoreless through two innings. Graduate student Maddie Hickingbottom drew the start for Niagara, appearing in her third straight game while tallying 14 ⅔ total innings in the series.
Pleasants was all over Hickingbottom early, singling in her first at-bat. In the third inning, Pleasants pulled two pitches foul and worked a full count before hammering her third home run of the season over the left field fence. Her 2-2 start was just the start of a strong game for the 2023 MAAC Player of the Year.
The third-inning blast, scoring sophomore outfielder Peyton Pusey and senior infielder Miah McDonald, was all that was needed for graduate student pitcher Kiley Myers.
Myers’ only blemish in the circle came in the bottom of the third against freshman third baseman Brianna Delaney. Delaney sent a solo shot over the fence, homering in her third straight game to narrow the gap to 3-1.
McDonald, the MAAC RBI leader, got the run right back in the fourth by poking a single into right field, scoring junior outfielder Kaitlyn Husic. Pleasants then entered the box with McDonald and graduate student outfielder Sophia Recrosio on base; a chance to continue adding on runs.
Pleasants brought them in quickly, shooting a two-RBI double into the left-field gap. The double increased Marist’s lead to 6-1 and Pleasants’ RBI total to five in the game.
While Pleasants put the offense on her shoulders, Myers and the defense dominated the entire afternoon.
Marist played clean defense, highlighted by a sixth-inning Recrosio web gem, flashing the leather and laying out on a fully extended dive to rob Delaney of a hit.
In the circle, Myers struck out eight on six hits, allowing one earned run and a single free pass. Her final three strikeouts in the seventh inning, put an exclamation point on her dominant complete game and 10th win of the season.
The Red Foxes travel back to Poughkeepsie, NY for a midweek matchup against Cornell University on Wednesday, April 3. The first pitch of the non-conference game is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Edited by/Photo Credit: Luke Sassa
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