Over 14 innings, the Marist Red Foxes kept Sacred Heart off the scoreboard, leading to 5-0 and 12-0 wins during Friday’s doubleheader to set the program record for shutouts in a season at 18. The shutout wins also extended Marist’s streak to 22 ⅔ straight innings of scoreless opponent innings.
Marist (33-7-1, 10-2-1 MAAC) used two big offensive innings, a four-run fourth inning in game one and a six-run first inning in game two, against Sacred Heart (18-21, 8-8 MAAC) to sweep the doubleheader. The Red Foxes now have 18 shutouts, surpassing the previous season record of 16 shutouts set in 1997.
Graduate student Kylie Myers and senior designated player and pitcher Maddie Pleasants tossed two gems to lead Marist. Offensively, six different Red Foxes recorded multiple hits.
“I’ve been very fortunate in my career here. The past 17 years, I have had some really good teams–the 2016 team was really, really good. I think the pitching on this team makes this a better team, we have more depth,” said Marist head coach Joe Ausanio.
To begin game one, two of the MAAC’s top pitchers, junior pitcher Sam Kowalski and Myers, started opposite in the circle. Myers and Kowalski entered Friday’s matchup first and second in the MAAC for the lowest ERA and BAA.
The series opener quickly became a pitcher’s duel. Kowalski got off to a fast start, striking out the side in the top of the first inning. Myers also swiftly worked in and out of innings as the Pioneers swung early in counts with an aggressive approach at the plate.
“In [Sacred Heart’s] preparation for today, they probably saw that Kylie throws a lot of strikes and she doesn’t walk a lot of people, so they were probably going to be very aggressive,” said Ausanio.
Through three innings, the score remained 0-0, and each pitcher allowed only one baserunner. Myers allowed one hit while striking out four on 28 pitches, while Kowalski walked a batter and also struck out four on 54 pitches.
Redshirt junior first baseman Haley Ahr led off the fourth inning with a walk, possibly turning the tide for the Red Foxes’ offense. Pleasants came within inches of breaking the ice, flying out to left field up against the fence.
The Red Foxes would not be kept off the scoreboard for much longer, and Pleasants’ flyout was a sign of better at-bats to come against Kowalski.
“When you watch [Kowalski] on film, she’s just more deceptive in real life,” said Ausanio. “We had some bad swings against her early and the good news is that they did a good job of talking to each other and what they were seeing and helping each other. It was really a team effort, they made some good adjustments on one of the top pitchers in the MAAC.”
Freshman second baseman Sienna Kunze and sophomore left fielder Samantha Rogers singled, bringing Ahr home for the game’s first run and a 1-0 Marist lead. Kowalski hit the next batter, junior catcher Isabella Manory, to load the bases, and her outing no longer appeared on cruise control.
Marist did not let up the pressure, scoring two more runs on senior third baseman Ronni Howard’s double to center field for a 3-0 Marist lead. Senior right fielder Kaitlyn Husic walked, turning the lineup over with the bases loaded and still only one out.
Kowalski kept the damage relatively limited, considering how dangerous junior center fielder Peyton Pusey and graduate student Miah McDonald are in the batter’s box with runners in scoring position. Pusey added a run with a sacrifice fly and McDonald lined out, ending a four-run fourth inning for the Red Foxes.
The Red Foxes chased Kowalski, and Myers built off the run support following Rogers’ second hit and RBI of the game in the fifth inning. Junior pitcher Emily Heath relieved Kowalski after Rogers’ two-out double extended Marist’s lead to 5-0.
Myers finished the 5-0 victory with her season-high nine strikeouts on 82 pitches, allowing three hits and no walks. To date, her eighth shutout of the season gives her the second-most in the nation. The shutout improved Myers’ record to 16-1 and her season ERA back down to a sub-one.
“Obviously it helps, because [Myers and Pleasants] change the way you can call a game. You just want them to pound that zone and make [Sacred Heart] string hits together,” said Ausanio.
Pleasants followed up Myers with a stellar game two performance in the circle following a much different start offensively for Marist.
Heath started game two for Sacred Heart and faced the entire Marist lineup in the first and only inning she pitched. The Red Foxes took a 6-0 first-inning lead with four hits, one less than the total they reached in game one.
Pusey, McDonald and Ahr reached safely to begin the game and scored after only reaching a combined two times in the first game. McDonald’s run broke the program’s previous record of 168 career runs scored – Pusey is also only three away from that mark.
Pusey scored on McDonald’s RBI-double, Pleasants drove in McDonald on a line drive single up the middle and Kunze’s sacrifice fly to center scored Ahr for the first three runs. Senior first baseman Maddie Gore cleared the bases, hitting a three-run double down the third baseline and extending the first-inning lead to 6-0.
After the massive Marist first inning, freshman pitcher Carah Sweet took over for the Pioneers and limited the Red Foxes the rest of the way. The six runs were plenty for Pleasants, who recorded her fifth straight and seventh overall outing with at least 10 strikeouts.
“Everybody pretty much had a role in both the wins today,” said Ausanio. “It was nice to get almost everybody in the game and I’m just really proud of the team effort across the board.”
Pusey added a run in the fifth, stealing third and forcing a throwing error that allowed her to score. Kunze bolstered the lead in the seventh to 8-0 with an RBI single that scored Ahr and the Red Foxes threatened for more with the bases loaded.
Sophomore pitcher and outfielder Anna Sidlowski received a pinch-hit opportunity and punched a double to right field, scoring two more runs. The lead continued ballooning to 12-0 as Sidlowski and Howard cleared the bases, scoring on two consecutive wild pitches.
Pleasants finished her second straight shutout and third in her last four outings for Marist. Over seven innings in the circle, she struck out 11, walked three and allowed five hits.
Following the game two victory, the Red Foxes’ run differential for the season now sits at +208, surpassing 300 runs scored and keeping opponents under 100 through 41 games. Marist will finish the series at Sacred Heart on Saturday at noon.
Edited by Ben Leeds
Photo from Marist Athletics
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