Marist softball remains in the winner’s bracket after beating Siena 2-0 in a masterclass by graduate student pitcher Kiley Myers. The win puts Marist within a win of the championship and ties the program record of 45 wins.
“She pitched with purpose today. I was really proud of the way she went out there and attacked the hitters,” said Marist head coach Joe Ausanio. “She got away with a couple pitches, but at the end of the day, when she needed to make a pitch, she did.”
Marist (45-7-1, 22-2-1 MAAC) needed everything from their ace, Myers, to take down Siena (34-20-1, 16-8-1 MAAC). Redshirt junior second baseman Haley Ahr carried the load offensively, giving Myers run support with an RBI infield single and a massive sixth-inning solo home run.
During the regular season, Siena handed the Red Foxes one of their two conference losses and the lone tie after suspending play in extra innings due to darkness.
Two former All-Championship team MVPs, redshirt junior pitcher Alissa Eimont and Myers, toed the slab hoping to put their team in a prominent position for the tournament.
“Two of the best that have ever done it in the MAAC, we happened to be on the fortunate end of it,” said Ausanio.
Myers set the tone for the Red Foxes with two first-inning punch-outs and finished her 10th complete game shutout with two more. The graduate student finished with six strikeouts over seven innings while allowing no walks and two hits.
Through two innings of play, the 2025 MAAC Tournament theme of limited scoring continued in this matchup, with both teams unable to score. The tournament did experience a first with two replay reviews in the bottom of the third.
Marist began the third inning with bunts from the senior corner infielders; third baseman Ronni Howard bunted for a hit and first baseman Maddie Gore moved her to second on a sacrifice to turn the lineup over.
“I took a page from the first few games [of the tournament]. I saw three 1-0 games, and I said, ‘we may have to just scratch and claw and get a run.’ I was going to do anything I could,” said Ausanio.
After working a walk, junior center fielder Peyton Pusey slid into second base on a close play, prompting Ausanio to request a review. If the call were reversed, the bases would be loaded with one out for Ahr.
Instead, the call on the field stood, but runners remained on the corners with two outs. A second review occurred after Ahr hit a slow roller to freshman second baseman Gianna DiMeglio. The first base umpire deemed Ahr safe on a bang-bang play, Siena head coach Casey Bump requested a review and the call stood.
Ahr beat out the infield single, allowing Howard to score, giving Marist a 1-0 lead heading into the fourth inning. Howard remained busy in the field, collecting all seven of the team’s assists. An eighth opportunity came her way with two outs in the fifth, but she sailed the throw to allow sophomore shortstop Carlie Venables to advance to second.
“[Howard] was like Brooks Robinson down there. He might be the best third baseman that ever played the game. Other than the one throwaway that Ronni had, it was a clinic down there at third base. She was incredible,” said Ausanio.
Myers quickly dispelled the Saints’ first runner in scoring position, retiring the next batter and bringing the Marist bats back up with a 1-0 lead. Graduate student shortstop Miah McDonald battled against Eimont with two outs in the fifth inning, fouling plenty of pitches off before grounding out to second. Myers stepped back into the circle with a one-run lead and 12 outs left in the game.
With one swing, Ahr gave her ace an extra run of support. One of the nation’s batting average leaders, she smoked a no-doubt homer, which turned out to be the dagger.
“[Off the bat] I felt elation. Elated for her, for the kids. They came here very loose and we knew it was going to be a tough game,” said Ausanio. “It’s a great feeling to go into tomorrow, you know, knowing if we can win one, then somebody has to beat us twice.”
Myers needed just the two runs and finished her dominant performance with two strikeouts to end the game. Marist is scheduled to face Rider, who is 3-0 in the tournament, on Friday, May 9, at 10:00 a.m. The weather forecast looks very skeptical, and that date and time may change.
Edited by Marley Pope
Graphic and Photo by John Jankowski
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