Senior outfielder Peyton Pusey made history at the Lion Invitational hosted by East Texas A&M University, becoming the first player in Marist and MAAC (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) history to score 200 career runs.
Marist took two out of four games in Texas; the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader against Grambling State was canceled due to lightning. Three of the four games were decided by a walk-off hit, and the Red Foxes came out on the losing end in two, but graduate student infielder Haley Ahr’s fourth hit against Jackson State delivered Marist’s walk-off victory.
Redshirt sophomore Stella Blanchard continued her stellar start to the season; over 10.2 innings pitched, Blanchard conceded just one earned run and struck out an impressive 15 hitters. She lowered her ERA on the young season to a tidy 1.62.
Prior to the start of the tournament, freshman outfielder/first baseman Annabelle Geiser was named MAAC Co-Rookie of the Week for her efforts in the Charleston Southern Invitational. Geiser registered nine hits in 16 at-bats, including three multi-hit games.
Marist’s first walk-off defeat came at the hands of the University of Rhode Island, 3-2. The Rams got to freshman pitcher Kaylie DeChicchis early, scoring two first inning runs courtesy of RBI singles from sophomore infielder Katie Knarr and freshman catcher Brooke Fairbanks.
In the top of the second, the Red Foxes knotted the game at two thanks to freshman first baseman/outfielder Lily Roumelis’ first career home run. Marist accumulated just six hits in the contest; Roumelis’ blast was the only one that went for extra bases.
After the Roumelis home run, junior pitcher/infielder Avery Vale-Cruz silenced the Marist bats for the remainder of the game. Vale-Cruz went the distance and only permitted three opportunities in which the Red Foxes had runners in scoring position; Marist went 0-3 in these situations.
DeChicchis found her rhythm as well, firing three scoreless innings after the two-run first. Graduate student pitcher Ava Metzger relieved DeChicchis, tossing scoreless fifth and sixth innings. The Red Foxes had a chance to take the lead in the top of seventh, but Ahr flew out to right field to end the inning, stranding the go-ahead run on third.
In the home half of the seventh, Metzger did not record an out, as she allowed a walk-off RBI single to redshirt sophomore infielder Riley Frickleton to end the game.
Similar to the Charleston Southern Invitational, head coach Joe Ausanio sent Blanchard to the circle in game two to avenge the game one loss. Blanchard delivered; she recorded her first career complete game, only yielding four hits and one run while striking out nine East Texas A&M batters.
Junior outfielder Samantha Rogers and senior catcher Isabella Manory led a well-rounded offensive attack. Eight of the nine starters reached base, but Rogers’ two-run shot in the third and Manory’s solo home run in the fourth gave Marist a four-run lead they never relinquished in the 5-1 victory.
On Saturday, the Red Foxes were tasked with facing Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) powerhouse Southeast Missouri State University. In the OVC Preseason Poll, the Redhawks have been selected to finish first in six of the last seven seasons. In a tightly-contested affair, Marist fell victim to yet another walk-off single.
Despite falling behind 3-1 after three innings, the Marist offense struck for five runs in the fourth inning off junior pitcher Maddie Carney. Three consecutive RBI doubles by Manory, sophomore infielder/catcher Sienna Kunze and freshman utility Maia Salvo gave the Red Foxes a 4-3 lead. Two more runs came across on a double-steal and another RBI double by Ahr, bringing Pusey in to score the record-clinching run.
Junior pitcher/outfielder Anna Sidlowski stepped in the circle looking for better results after her season debut against Central Michigan. The junior proved to be ineffective once again, tossing just 3.2 innings, allowing five runs on six hits; the final two runs Sidlowski allowed to score came on back-to-back bases loaded walks.
Sophomore pitcher Emma Bayor escaped further trouble, striking out freshman infielder Lily Blagoue to end the inning; in spite of the result, Blagoue gave the Marist pitching staff fits, finishing the game 4-5 with a home run and two RBI’s.
Bayor started the sixth inning, but after she walked her fourth batter in just 1.1 innings pitched, Ausanio called upon DeChicchis to hold the one-run lead. A Blagoue single allowed senior infielder Abby Robbins to score on a fielder’s choice one batter later, knotting the game at six.
Marist had an opportunity to break the tie in the seventh; walks by freshman utility Livia Wiltsie, Manory and Salvo loaded the bases but a Roumelis strikeout ended the threat.
In the bottom half, two Redhawk singles followed by a sacrifice bunt and a lineout set the stage for Blagoue. The freshman sent a walk-off single just past the outstretched glove of Wiltsie to seal the win for Southeast Missouri State.
After the five-run fourth inning, the Marist offense was unable to muster anything against junior pitcher Willow Van Haren. In three innings of relief, the southpaw only squandered one run on two hits, while striking out six.
Due to the Grambling State cancellation, Sunday’s matchup against Jackson State marked Marist’s final contest of the Lion Invitational. Ahr and Rogers combined for six of Marist’s 10 hits and drove in five of the seven runs. The Red Foxes finally found themselves on the winning side of a walk-off hit, defeating the Tigers 7-6.
Metzger drew the final start of the tournament, hurling three scoreless innings before unraveling in the fourth. Jackson State jumped her for four runs, courtesy of a two-run double by sophomore outfielder Courtney Little, a steal of home and an RBI single off the bat of junior catcher/infielder Avelina Mclean. Mclean was one of four Tigers to record multiple hits.
The Red Fox comeback commenced in the bottom half, as Rogers’ second two-run home run of the weekend cut the Tiger lead in half. Last season, Rogers had the third-most home runs on the team (13).
Marist continued to chip away at the deficit as a Pusey RBI single in the fifth and an Ahr RBI double in the sixth tied the game. Rogers contributed an RBI double of her own to give the Red Foxes their first lead of the game. Geiser, after not starting the game, laid down a sacrifice bunt to give Marist a 6-4 lead.
During the comeback, Blanchard relieved Metzger and held the Jackson State offense at bay. After a dominant outing against East Texas A&M, Blanchard pitched the final 3.2 innings of the game, allowing two runs (zero earned) on four hits, striking out six more batters.
Miscues by Rogers and Ahr plated two unearned runs for the Tigers, leveling the game at six entering the bottom of the seventh. After redshirt junior outfielder/utility Ava Hampton drew a lead-off walk, redshirt sophomore outfielder/utility Marissa Scarano came on to pinch-run. A few batters later, Scarano came around to score on Ahr’s second RBI double, her fourth knock of the game.
Marist will take the field again on Friday in Tampa, FL at the University of South Florida tournament. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. against Power 4 opponent Boston College.
Edited by Hayden Shapiro
Photo by Cassidy Connors
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