Miah McDonald and Haley Ahr came up clutch for Marist softball in an unforgettable 7-3 extra innings win in game one over Canisius, which was punctuated by a walk-off grand slam by McDonald.
Down to their last out and last strike in the bottom of the seventh inning, redshirt sophomore utility Haley Ahr turned the game upside down. Trailing 3-1 with junior infielder Ronni Howard leading off of second base, Ahr sent a full-count offering from Canisius senior pitcher Megan Giese deep center field. Senior outfielder Christie McGee-Ross drifted back toward the wall and lept for a potential game-saving grab.
The ball, just out of reach of her outstretched glove, left the yard to tie the game at three. Junior pitcher/utility Maddie Pleasants nearly ended the game moments later when she hit a screaming line drive off the top of the wall in left field. Giese bounced back, inducing an inning-ending groundout to send the game to extras.
Graduate student pitcher Kiley Myers then tossed a scoreless frame, including two strikeouts to set a new single-game career high of 12.
In the bottom half of the eighth inning, freshman infielder Samantha Rogers singled to get on board as the potential winning run. With one out, sophomore catcher/utility Isabella Manory laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Rogers to scoring position. Back-to-back two-out walks loaded the bases for senior utility Miah McDonald, Marist’s freshly minted single-season home run record holder with 16.
On the first pitch of the at-bat, McDonald lifted the ball to the right-center field gap, and it bounced off the top of the wall for a walkoff home run. McDonald raised her arms while rounding first as Giese flung her pitcher’s mask in frustration.
Though she ultimately ceded six runs, Giese pitched strongly for most of the day in her first appearance since throwing a no-hitter against the Manhattan Jaspers on Wednesday. After a dropped infield fly ball allowed a run to score in the first inning, Giese had her way with the Red Foxes. She kept Marist at bay until Ahr’s backbreaking home run in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Saturday’s doubleheader provided a rematch of last year’s MAAC Tournament Championship and could act as a precursor to yet another postseason matchup. Canisius, the MAAC Champion in 2022, defeated Marist in the winner’s bracket en route to their 13th MAAC title in program history.
Marist got their revenge in the following tournament, defeating the Golden Griffs in the championship, advancing to the NCCA Tournament. This year, the two squads seem to be on a collision course; both Canisius and Marist entered action today with 13 wins in MAAC play, occupying two of the top three spots in the conference’s standings.
Myers ultimately recorded the win in game one, pitching eight innings and giving up three runs and 11 hits while striking out 12.
Marist now will host Canisius in the second game of the double header.
Edited by Luke Sassa
Photo credit: Jaylen Rizzo
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