Winning 11 of their last 12 games to move to 19-5 overall, Marist softball dominated during their trip to Tennessee on Friday, March 7, to finish their non-conference tournament play. They followed with a sweep of the weekend, beating Mercyhurst and St. Bonaventure twice and East Tennessee State once while reaching a run differential of 46-4 over the five games.
This is the best start for the program since 2006 when the Red Foxes started 22-5.
Entering the final weekend of non-conference tournaments, Marist ranked within the top 50 in multiple key statistics. The Red Foxes ranked 37th in the nation for batting average, garnered the 48th-ranked team ERA, were 42nd in WHIP, had the 22nd-best slugging percentage, and had the 16th-most home runs.
Additionally, all 12 other MAAC teams combined for 30 home runs in an average of 10 games played, Marist hit 32 in 19 games.
“I’m really happy. Obviously we’ve gotten off to some good starts, both offensively and on the mound, and defense has been playing well. I think this team is just very driven right now. They felt that they had a championship-caliber team last year and did well in the regular season, but got to the tournament and didn’t play up to our capabilities,” said Marist head coach Joe Ausanio.
“They seem very laser focused and their eyes are on the prize, taking everything one game at a time,” he continued. “They’re not worried about the streaks or anything like that. They’re just taking care of business.”
Graduate student pitcher Kiley Myers entered the weekend with the tenth-best ERA in the nation and the third-most innings pitched within that top 10.
In the opening game, a 4-0 win against Mercyhurst, Myers carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning. Freshman infielder Natasha McLellan-Tam spoiled the no-hitter with a one-out base hit; Myers recorded the final two outs accordingly.
During the week, graduate student infielder Miah McDonald earned the honor of D1Softball’s third-best middle infielder in their NCAA Middle Infielder Power Rankings. She proved her worth in the sixth inning with a three-run homer, giving Marist a 3-0 lead.
“This is [Myers and McDonald’s] last hoorah and I think that they both realize that they want to go back to the NCAA Regionals. Miah was hurt when we did it so I think she’s really driven and very focused,” said Ausanio.
Senior pitcher and utility Maddie Pleasants added insurance, following McDonald with a solo shot and sending the Red Foxes into the seventh with a 4-0 lead and no-hit bid still alive.
Myers recorded the first out of the inning before allowing a hit from the next batter. The graduate student finished her ninth win with three strikeouts, two walks and one hit. That was not the only gem produced in the circle for Marist that day.
Pleasants entered the circle against East Tennessee State and, along with 12 hits on offense, powered Marist to a 9-0 win.
East Tennessee’s sloppy showing in the blowout included five errors and miscues ensued immediately.
Junior outfielder Peyton Pusey led off the game by reaching on an error by sophomore second baseman Tiare Rieger and redshirt junior infielder Haley Ahr drove her home. Freshman infielder Sienna Kunze doubled and scored the second run in the fourth on an error by junior catcher Leinani Lutu. Marist broke the game open in the fifth.
Through four innings, Pleasants racked up six strikeouts and allowed one hit. She added run support for herself with an RBI single after a Pusey lead-off home run. The Red Foxes scored two more runs courtesy of singles by senior corner infielders Ronni Howard and Maddie Gore.
Ahr recorded a RBI in the sixth and sophomore pitcher and outfielder Anna Sidlowski’s two-RBI double extended the lead to 9-0. Sidlowski, Gore and Howard were the three Red Foxes to have multiple hits in the game. The Buccanneers mustered three hits and a walk against Pleasants who struck out 10, her second time striking out double-digit batters this season.
Marist began Saturday against St. Bonaventure, a familiar opponent they beat 9-0 in five innings last weekend.
The second matchup between the two contained similarities to the first; an early Red Foxes lead, a grand slam and a shutout run-rule victory, this time Marist winning 10-0. Two sac-flies from Pleasants and Kunze in the first gave Marist a 2-0 lead and the Red Foxes loaded the bases in the second inning for the recently dubbed third-best middle infielder in the nation.
McDonald came to the plate and sent the second pitch over the center field fence, extending their lead to 6-0 in the second inning. Marist loaded the bases again in the third, this time Pusey cleared them with a three-RBI double. Pleasants hit her second solo home run of the tournament and her sixth homer of the season to give Marist a double-digit lead in the fourth.
Sidlowski started and went the distance, allowing two hits, no walks and striking out four. In her last 19 innings pitched, Sidlowski allowed two earned runs. The shutout extended the pitching staff’s streak to five games with no runs allowed over 31 innings.
“Honestly, I feel very fortunate. We have a deep staff and you have three kids right now who are throwing the majority of the innings in Kylie, Anna and Maddie. It really gives us three different looks for our three-game series,” said Ausanio. “We should get [redshirt freshman pitcher] Stella [Blanchard] back in the next week or so from her surgery, and she’s going to add some serious depth to our pitching staff. I think we’re going to be tough come MAAC play.”
The streak ended during Saturday’s second game against Mercyhurst in a decisive 10-3 win with Pleasants in the circle. The senior provided plenty of run support for herself, out-scoring the Lakers alone with two home runs and four RBIs.
Marist faced their first test of the weekend in the second inning up 3-0. Freshman first baseman Jazlynn Sanders drove in two runs, taking Pleasants deep in a two-strike count and cutting Marist’s lead to 3-2.
Pleasants took those runs right back, leading off the third with a solo shot and smacking a three-run homer in the fourth for a 7-3 lead. Pusey joined Pleasants with a home run in the fifth, except hers was non-traditional, sprinting around the bases for a two-run inside-the-park home run.
Sophomore outfielder Samantha Rogers tacked on Marist’s tenth run of the game with a double in the sixth. McDonald added three more runs in the seventh with her tenth home run of the season, extending the Red Foxes’ lead to 13-3, tying the most runs they have scored in a game this season.
During her two-homerun game at the plate, Pleasants earned her sixth win of the season, allowing eight hits, two earned runs, walking one and striking out five.
Marist finished the weekend with their third run-rule victory against St. Bonaventure in a five-inning 10-1 showing on Sunday. McDonald put the Red Foxes on the board in the bottom of the first with a two-run home run and the floodgates opened.
“I’m very fortunate to have all cylinders firing. Kind of just sit back and watch them play; they are fun to watch with what they are doing,” said Ausanio.
The Red Foxes tallied 12 hits and put up crooked numbers in each inning, including a four-run third. Ahr, Howard, Pusey and Rogers recorded RBI singles and McDonald homered a second time during her five-RBI morning. Pusey and Sidlowski each recorded two hits and Myers moved to 10-0, throwing four innings and allowing a run on three hits, a walk and five strikeouts.
Marist’s next venture will be to Easton, PA for a doubleheader against Lafayette on Friday, March 14. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. and conference play will follow.
“I’m excited for the way that they’re playing and hoping that we can continue it this week with two games at Lafayette going right into MAAC play the following weekend,” said Ausanio, who won his 450th career game as a head coach this weekend.
Edited by Dan Aulbach
Graphic from Cara Lacey
Photo provided by Marist Athletics