Marist softball encountered a determined Mount St. Mary’s team entering the day on a seven-game losing streak and winless in nine games on the road in Poughkeepsie, NY. Following game one of the Saturday afternoon doubleheader, The Mount broke that streak in a 3-2 extra-innings win.
The Mount (7-19, 1-5 MAAC) stood toe-to-toe with the Red Foxes (23-10, 5-2 MAAC) the entire day but, on the back of senior utility Miah McDonald, Marist took game two 6-3, forcing a doubleheader split.
“I have said all along, Miah McDonald is probably the best player in our conference,” said head coach Joe Ausanio. “I’m really proud of her coming back from her injury and picking up where she left off two years ago.”
Freshman infielder Avery Dinges and graduate student utility Elizabeth King began game one with two singles in the second inning, bringing senior outfielder Zoe Truxon up to bat. Truxon gave The Mount an early 1-0 lead with a comebacker to graduate student pitcher Kiley Myers, which was bobbled, allowing all baserunners to reach safely.
Freshman pitcher/outfielder Anna Sidlowski made a running catch to end the inning and Myers escaped the bases-loaded jam, allowing just one run.
Senior infielder Kassidy Johnson crossed the plate in the third inning, tacking on another run for The Mount. Johnson reached on an error by junior infielder Ronni Howard and King singled Johnson home, extending The Mount’s lead to 2-0.
Marist’s first scoring chance finally came in the fourth inning following redshirt sophomore infielder Haley Ahr’s single and senior utility Alyssa Grupp’s double. With runners on second and third, sophomore catcher Isabella Manory grounded out to the pitcher, ending the inning and giving The Mount even more energy.
“We had runners in scoring position multiple times and didn’t get that timely hit when we needed it,” said Ausanio.
Sophomore outfielder Peyton Pusey stole all that energy back with a no-doubt two-run homer. Pusey knew she got all of it as soon as she hit it, pointing to the outfield and screaming around the bases as the ball flew way over the right-center fence.
“I hope that [our pitchers] know that we will have their back,” said Pusey. “They don’t have to worry about if they’re not on their best game, even though they always are, we’re gonna have their backs.”
The game remained knotted at 2-2 going into the seventh as minimal offensive opportunities arose against Myers and Schmehl. That continued in the seventh as neither team crossed the plate, forcing extra innings.
Through seven innings in the circle, Myers tallied seven strikeouts on zero earned runs and Schmehl allowed just five hits along with six strikeouts. Myers also began extra innings with 125 pitches while Schmehl sat at an economical 75 pitches.
Myers’ first earned run came off the bat of King, smacking a go-ahead solo home run to give The Mount a 3-2 lead in extras. During her lengthy outing, Myers eclipsed 100 innings pitched for the second time in her career and entered the top 10 in program history for career innings pitched.
Schmehl, despite a leadoff Pusey single, finished off the eighth inning for her second career and consecutive complete game, leading the way in a 3-2 Mount St. Mary’s victory.
“I think we had some misfortune [in game one],” Pusey said.
Sidlwoski took the circle for the Red Foxes in game two while junior pitcher Oliva Murphy started on the other side for Mount St. Mary’s.
Pusey began the bottom of the first of game two with a leadoff single, recording her 100th career hit. Junior pitcher/utility Maddie Pleasants singled to right, driving Pusey home giving Marist a 1-0 lead in the first.
“Wow,” said Pusey of her 100th hit. “I’m just grateful for the opportunities that I’ve been given because it shows how much faith the coaching staff has in us. I appreciate the opportunities and I want to provide as much as I can for this team.”
The Red Foxes had an opportunity for more but McDonald was doubled up at third after taking off with one out on a flyout.
McDonald quickly made up for her baserunning miscue with a two-run shot in the third inning. Her ninth home run of the season accounted for her 100th career RBI, extending the Red Foxes lead to 3-0. Her strong second game was just getting started.
“I work hard during practice, so having that translate into the game and help my team and teammates out means a lot to me,” said McDonald.
Ahr and Grupp followed McDonald’s blast with consecutive singles, resulting in Murphy being pulled from the game for sophomore pitcher Maddie Coleman. The reliever retired freshman catcher Roman Drew to keep the score at 3-0 after three innings.
Sidlowski coasted through the first four innings, tallying four strikeouts and keeping The Mount off the scoreboard. Johnson came up with one out in the fifth and took Sidlowski deep for Mount St. Mary’s first run of the game.
Senior utility Abigayle Perry reached third base after singling and stealing second and third; she was brought in by senior outfielder Julia Vincent, trimming the Marist lead to 3-2.
The Red Foxes put pressure on Coleman in the bottom of the fifth, loading the bases with two outs, but Coleman struck out junior outfielder Kaitlyn Husic for her fourth of the game; spiking the ball on her way back to the dugout.
In the ensuing half inning, sophomore utility Lia Festa hit a solo shot to tie the game at 3-3 in the sixth. McDonald quickly gave Marist the lead back in the bottom of the sixth.
After Howard and Pusey singled, McDonald gave Marist a 6-3, smashing a three-run home run. Her second blast of the game and tenth of the season added to her game-high 5 RBIs.
“I’m just trying to put the bat on the ball… I’m feeling good right now,” said McDonald.
Sidlowski earned her 10th complete game of the season, but similar to the whole day, The Mount made her work for it. The freshman faced a bases-loaded two-out situation and was up to the task, recording her career-high seventh strikeout.
“What we’re doing well right now is throwing strikes. We’re not walking people and we have a great defense behind us,” Ausanio said. “When we throw strikes you know [and] let our defense work, we’re definitely more successful.”
The 6-3 win was Sidlowski’s 11th of the season and evened the series up at one. The rubber match is scheduled for Sunday, April 7 at noon.
Edited by Cara Lacey
Graphic by Cara Lacey; Photo from Marist Athletics
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