Marist softball showed exactly why they are the team to beat in the MAAC with four home runs in a 10-2 five-inning offensive explosion on Championship Sunday. The Red Foxes set the tone with nine hits and nine runs in the first inning and rolled from there.
In a tournament with limited scoring, the MAAC’s top-scoring offense came alive at the most important time. The Red Foxes (47-7-1, 21-2-1 MAAC) took 14 at-bats in the first inning behind a 9-0 lead against the Saints (36-21-1, 16-7-1 MAAC).
“We didn’t hit well all week, and they just had really good approaches going into that game. I couldn’t be happier with the way they attacked in that first inning,” said Marist head coach Joe Ausanio.
Graduate student pitcher Kiley Myers picked up her 22nd win, going five innings and allowing two runs on her way to becoming the sixth player to win two Championship MVPs. Three huge first-inning swings from senior designated player Maddie Pleasants, sophomore right fielder Sam Rogers and senior first baseman Maddie Gore gave Myers run support from the jump.
“[After the first inning], I was totally relaxed. It was a lot of fun and great to see. It just let me and the whole team have fun out there,” said Myers.
The championship could not be drawn up any better as the past two tournament winners squared off. Marist entered Sunday with three runs scored over two playoff games, while Siena averaged two runs scored over four games.
Entering today, junior first baseman and 2024 MAAC All-Championship member Emma Peterson displayed her playoff pedigree, leading the Saints to the championship game with home runs in two must-win one-run games on Saturday.
The Red Foxes’ pitching staff led the way through their two wins into the championship. Myers and Pleasants went the distance in shutout wins against Siena and Rider. Myers struck out six over seven innings on Thursday, and Pleasants finished eight innings of one-hit pitching with 10 strikeouts.
The Marist bats decided to lead the way at the right time, jumping on Siena’s pitching early on Sunday. Junior center fielder Peyton Pusey led off the bottom of the first with a double. The next two Red Foxes reached safely, loading the bases with no outs for Pleasants.
“I didn’t want to overcomplicate or try to do anything too big. I just went in there knowing what I practiced all along for hitting and hoping for a great outcome,” said Pleasants. “[The first inning] shows that we really have heart, and if we see a pitcher again, we’re not going to make the same mistakes, and we’re going to go at them hard.”
Pleasants drilled a grand slam to open the scoring; the hits and runs came in bunches following the big blast. Two batters later, Rogers popped an opposite-field two-run home run, extending Marist’s lead to 6-0 with no outs recorded.
“[The grand slam was] electric. I think it just fired everybody up. We wanted to come out strong, and our bats were kind of cold throughout the tournament and now was just a great time for them to come out. We knew that was gonna happen today,” said Myers.
Gore came to the plate with two outs and pulled a moon-shot down the left field line for a seventh first-inning run. Graduate student shortstop Miah McDonald and redshirt junior second baseman Haley Ahr added RBIs to the 9-0 lead through one inning.
The Saints did respond with eight batters coming to the plate in the second inning and chipped two runs off the Red Foxes’ lead. Rogers took a run back, homering for her second time to bring the Red Foxes to double digits in the fourth.
“These past few games, I felt like I had really good swings and I just wasn’t connecting. So I wanted to come in with that same mentality and just really put everything together today,” said Rogers. “These girls are my best friends… I’ve had a blast. It’s really great knowing that my team and my coaches trust me no matter where they put me. So I just go out there and give them my all.”
“I couldn’t be happier for Sam. Her work ethic is unbelievable, she’s always working, she’s always in the cage, she’s always in the weight room, getting it done,” said Ausanio. “She has had the most growth of any player I’ve ever had.”
Rogers, along with Pleasants, Pusey and Ahr highlighted the All-Championship Team. Rogers finished 2-2 with two home runs and three RBI, Pleasants hit the big grand slam, Pusey finished 2-3 with a double and Ahr went 2-3 with an RBI.
Senior third baseman Ronni Howard put a stamp on the game, finishing by snaring a line drive and throwing across the diamond for a game-ending run-rule victory. The Red Foxes recorded the last out and immediately mobbed Myers in the circle; the celebrations commenced in an incredible season.
“You’ve got to be ready each and every play, especially with the great pitchers that we have, like Kiley and Maddie, they’re gonna provide balls either on the ground or right at you. So I just knew I had to be ready and that’s what I was,” said Howard.
The Red Foxes entered the season as the preseason favorite, won a nation-best 19 games in a row during March, and accumulated the most wins in program history. Now, they cap it off with the fifth championship in program history.
“Coach Ausanio has done such a terrific job with the program. He does a really nice job with these young ladies and his recruiting has been outstanding, but his culture is outstanding too, said Marist Athletic Director Tim Murray. “The bar for Marist athletes is high and this team, as always, has set the bar even higher.”
The selection show will take place at 7 p.m. to determine Marist’s next stop on its historic journey.
“Honestly, wherever we go, people need to watch out, because they’re going to put their guards down on us, and they’re not ready for what we have to bring,” said Howard.
Edited by Marley Pope
Graphic by Kira Crutcher; Photo by John Jankowski
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