Marist softball extended its winning streak to 15 games on its Sunday afternoon trip to Hamden, Connecticut, against the Quinnipiac Bobcats. The Red Foxes took a back-and-forth game one 13-9 and shut out the Bobcats in game two in a 9-0 victory.
Quinnipiac (8-18, 3-4 MAAC) answered each of Marist’s multi-run innings in game one but could not outscore Marist (26-5, 3-0 MAAC), the 18th-ranked scoring team in the country. A huge eight-run fourth inning proved pivotal to take game one and the Bobcats ran out of responses in game two.
“We kept taking their best blow and that’s what good teams can do. At the end of the day, the win is the win and it was great to see the team respond to some pressure,” said Marist head coach Joe Ausanio.
Sophomore right fielder Samantha Rogers totaled five hits and eight RBI on the day, including a three-run home run in the second game. Redshirt junior first baseman Haley Ahr increased her nation-leading batting average to .545 with four hits.
In the circle, graduate student pitcher Kiley Myers secured her 50th career win in relief of senior pitcher Maddie Pleasants, who started game one in the circle. Pleasants threw three innings, allowing three hits and three walks on seven strikeouts and two earned runs.
Senior Jaclyn Gonzalez started opposite Pleasants and struggled to command the zone early with four first-inning walks, allowing the Red Foxes to take an early 1-0 lead. Gonzalez’s third consecutive walk to freshman second baseman Sienna Kunze scored Marist’s first run.
Gonzalez kept damage relatively limited after Kunze’s walk, despite junior catcher Isabella Manory’s RBI single tacking on a second run in the first inning.
The momentum swung to the Bobcats’ dugout in the bottom of the second on an abnormal first and third play. This became the first of many odd defensive plays in the game.
“We didn’t play our best game. We had some bad errors and I think a lot of that is just the product of us not being able to do a lot of team practicing with certain situations that kind of happened,” said Ausanio.
Quinnipiac tied the game on a wild double steal. With runners on first and third, Manory threw down to second base, and junior shortstop Natalia Aptiga put herself into a rundown, allowing junior right fielder Noelle Reid to score from third.
During the rundown, Ahr’s throw from first base bounced off Aptiga’s helmet and into an empty outfield, tying the game 2-2.
More defensive miscues ensued in the top of the third inning on a Manory bunt with runners on first and second. Freshman third baseman Madison Waltke charged on the bunt but overthrew first base, allowing Kunze to score from second; senior third baseman Ronni Howard added a run to the 4-2 lead with a double to left.
The lineup turned over with two runners in scoring position and one out, but Gonzalez induced two ground balls, escaping further damage.
Quinnipiac once again responded, tying the game with two runs in the bottom of the third. Aptiga doubled to the left field warning track, bringing junior catcher Riley Potter and Reid home from first. The Bobcats gave up the lead with another error in the next inning.
Junior center fielder Mary Fogg overran a Pleasants’ fly ball, allowing her to reach second base and score on a single off the bat of Rogers. Manory brought Rogers in on a two-run blast, extending the Marist lead to 7-4 and Gonzalez being pulled. Manory’s sixth homer of the season broke the program’s single-season home run record with over 20 games remaining in the regular season.
“[Breaking the record] and not having played one game on our field is even better because our field is considered a hitter’s park. To have been able to do it on the road is a testament to how good the kids are,” said Ausanio.
Two more runs scored, including an Ahr RBI single, before Pleasants went deep down the left field line for a three-run shot, pulling her hands in on a tough inside pitch and adding to a 12-4 Marist lead. Pleasants’ home run gives her 14 total and 10 in the last 10 games.
Freshman pitcher Emma Bayor relieved for Pleasants in the top of the fourth inning and the Bobcats had a big inning of their own, scoring five runs on five hits in the fifth, but Myers shut them down after that. In 2 ⅓ innings of relief, the graduate student allowed two hits, one walk and struck out five to finish the 13-9 win.
Sophomore pitcher Anna Sidlowski and junior pitcher Isabella Milazzo kept the Bobcats’ bats quiet in game two, allowing four total baserunners over six innings. Sidlowski started and went four innings for her sixth win of the season and Milazzo finished the 9-0 run rule victory with two innings of relief.
Marist jumped on freshman pitcher Shannon Kendall right away, putting up a three-run first inning. Each of the first three batters reached and Kendall walked Pleasants for the first run of the game. Rogers entered the box two batters later and singled for two of her six RBI.
“Good things happen when [Rogers] swings the bat. She has a lot of power and great hand-eye coordination,” said Ausanio. “I thought she had really good approaches at the plate; she’s been disciplined and looking for good pitches to hit. We’ve kind of harped on with her to stop chasing bad pitches out of the zone.”
Sidlowski and her defense kept the Bobcats off the bases and the game remained at 3-0 until the fifth inning. With two runners on, the most dangerous hitter of the day came to the plate again. Rogers belted the first pitch to left-center field for a three-run home run, her sixth of the season. The Red Foxes added another run in the fifth, pulling way ahead at 7-0.
Ahr and Rogers brought home two more runs with a single and a double in the sixth to put Marist up 9-0; Milazzo closed the game strong with a 1-2-3 inning.
“[Sidlowski and Milazzo] did a really good job of changing speeds; the key was throwing strikes. In the first game, we had a few walks, but I thought they did a really good job of keeping them off balance and continuing to throw strikes,” said Ausanio.
The Red Foxes will play what is supposed to be their home opener against Canisius on Tuesday at Army West Point, as the softball field is currently undergoing renovations. Marist will face undefeated sophomore pitcher Olivia Manchester (8-0). The first pitch for the doubleheader is scheduled for 11 a.m.
Edited by Dan Aulbach
Graphic from Quinn Difiore
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