By Aidan Lavin and Mike Duda
Marist softball homered nine times in their doubleheader sweep of Manhattan on Friday, powering them to a 12-4 five-inning victory and a 14-7 win.
Marist (38-7-1, 15-2-1 MAAC) scored five runs in two different innings during their 12-4 game one run-rule rout and tallied 17 hits in a 14-7 game two win during the celebration of Mental Health Day against Manhattan (10-29, 7-13 MAAC). Each player sported green ribbons, green stickers and green eye black to support the cause.
“We’re really proud to be part of [Mental Health Day], and we have some personal things within the team that have dealt with mental health. [I’m] just really proud that we’re able to recognize that today and be part of it,” said head coach Joe Ausanio.
Graduate student shortstop Miah McDonald needed one swing to break multiple records and reach a milestone. Second baseman Haley Ahr extended her streak of multi-hit games to six while Marist extended their winning streak to eight.
Sophomore pitcher Karissa Spring entered the circle in game one with a 1-0 first-inning Jaspers lead, courtesy of two seniors, catcher Anissa Villalobos and left fielder Lindsey Hoag, who doubled back-to-back. Both Spring and graduate student pitcher Kiley Myers’ starts were short-lived, each failing to reach the third inning.
The Red Foxes took the lead back with a power surge in the second inning. Marist went back-to-back twice in their own right, but in the form of home runs.
“They’ve been working so hard and having great approaches at the plate,” said Ausanio, “to see it come to fruition was just a great feeling as a coach.”
Sophomore left fielder Samantha Rogers lifted off to left field with a no-doubt solo shot and junior catcher Isabella Manory made it 2-1 with an opposite-field homer. Coming into the day, the duo’s last homers were on March 30; this is the third time this season they have homered on the same day, and it was not the last.
McDonald added to the 4-1 lead with a heavy dose of history. McDonald smoked her single-season record 21st home run over the center field fence, breaking the record she set last season. The home run was also her 50th career home run and set a new MAAC record of 174 career runs scored.
“I’m going up to the plate with a clear mindset,” said McDonald, “my first at bat, I struck out, so I wanted to learn from that first at-bat and approach the pitcher and attack every pitch that she threw me, and that’s what I did.”
Ahr put a bow on the history with a solo home run for the second pair of back-to-back home runs in the inning, adding to Marist’s 5-1 lead. Manhattan did not allow the historic moment to last very long, punching right back in the third inning.
Myers had her shortest start of the season, going two-plus innings before being pulled for sophomore pitcher Anna Sidlowski. The Jaspers reached safely with three consecutive batters and scored a run to start the third against Myers; Ausanio called upon Sidlowski with runners in scoring position for the second straight game.
“Anna’s fresh right now [and] she’s been throwing really well,” said Ausanio, “she’s getting ahead, and she’s been really good.”
Hoag scored on a groundout, cutting the Manhattan deficit to 5-3, and freshman designated player Victoria Diaz singled with two outs to bring the Jaspers within one.
Junior utility Sophia Kiseloski relieved Spring following the four Marist home runs in the second inning and faced trouble in the third. Manory bunted freshman second baseman Sienna Kunze and Rogers into scoring position with one out; both came around to score for a 7-4 Marist lead.
Senior third baseman Ronni Howard beat out an infield single to score Kunze, and Rogers scored after freshman second baseman Michayla Rodriguez could not come up with a hard-hit ground ball by junior center fielder Peyton Pusey. Marist entered the fourth inning up 7-4 and continued extending their lead.
The Red Foxes loaded the bases twice during a five-run fourth inning, adding to a 12-4 lead. Manory brought home two runs in her bases-loaded at-bat, increasing her total to three RBI. Howard and Ahr recorded their third hits of the game, each bringing home a run. Howard doubled off the top of the fence, giving Marist a 10-4 lead and Marist reloaded the bases for Ahr, who singled to extend Marist’s lead to 12-4.
Sidlowski picked up her eighth win of the season while allowing two hits during her three innings of relief. The 6-7-8 in the lineup of Rogers, Manory and Howard provided a huge boost during the 12-4 win, finishing 7-for-7 with six RBI.
“The other day against Merrimack, the bottom of the lineup struggled, but today I was really proud of the adjustments that they made. They really did a good job of maximizing their at-bats and taking advantage of everything that was given to them today,” said Ausanio.
Hoag gave Manhattan another first-inning lead to start game two, belting a three-run home run off senior pitcher Maddie Pleasants. Ahr chipped away from the lead in the first inning, grounding out but driving home McDonald after she tripled and tied the game in the second with an RBI single.
Between Ahr’s RBIs, Manory hit a solo shot for her second home run of the day and eighth of the season. Rogers matched Manory with her second home run of the day in the third, taking a 5-3 lead. The Red Foxes added three more runs with two outs for their third five-run inning of the day.
“I feel like we were all pretty good at locking down on those approaches today and swinging at strikes,” said Manory.
“We came in with a lot of confidence just looking for our pitch and looking to hit the ball hard,” said Rogers.
Pusey hit a two-run home run and Ahr singled home McDonald, who reached with a double. The two-run homer broke Pusey’s personal single-season home run record that she set last season.
The third inning finished with seven Marist hits and an 8-3 lead. The Jaspers responded with two runs in the fourth inning to trail 8-5.
Sidlowski entered for her second relief appearance of the day in the fifth inning, and Manhattan cut further into the deficit with two runs.
Leading by a lone run, Ahr wasted no time in the fifth to extend the Marist lead with a straightaway solo shot. Rogers backed that up with her third home run of the day, a two-run homer to extend the lead to 11-7.
Sidlowski finished the job with a clean sixth inning and scoreless seventh inning to earn the save after earning the win in game one. She finished the day with a total of six innings pitched, surrendering just one run on four hits.
“I’ve been struggling with relief [and] I’ve been in this role pretty much all season, so it feels good to know that my teammates have my back,” said Sidlowski.
After adding three more runs in the home sixth inning, the Red Foxes closed out the doubleheader sweep on a beautiful play from McDonald for the 14-7 victory.
The Red Foxes finish the series on Sunday, April 27 at noon in Poughkeepsie.
Edited By Marley Pope
Graphic by Kira Crutcher
Photo Credit: Marist Athletics via John Jankowski
For more coverage of Marist athletics, follow @cfmarist on Instagram, X, and TikTok, and sign up to receive daily alerts here.