Despite not coming away with a win, graduate student infielder Haley Ahr broke the Marist softball hits record with her 245th career hit against Colgate. The record previously belonged to former teammate Miah McDonald, who broke Caroline Baratta’s mark of 241 hits last May.
Ahr also earned MAAC Player of the Week honors for her performance at the Lion Invitational. She hit .500 with four doubles and three RBIs, good enough for a 1.349 OPS.
Defensive miscues, struggles with runners in scoring position and big innings by the opposition did the Red Foxes in this weekend; the Marist defense committed eight errors and the pitching staff allowed at least three runs in four different innings over the four games.
Over the four games, Marist went just 6-44 (.136 AVG) with runners in scoring position. Although they did not execute, the team had at least 10 opportunities in each game, indicating the Red Foxes created traffic on the bases but could not come through with the big hit when they needed it.
Six of the eight errors came in their first game against Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) opponent Boston College. The Eagles were one of two Power-4 teams the Red Foxes were scheduled to face; Sunday’s matchup against the University of Indiana was canceled because of incoming snow expected in the Tampa area.
Boston College scored the first eight runs of the game against sophomore pitcher Emma Bayor. Three throwing errors in the first inning by freshman utility McKenna Manley enabled three unearned runs to score, but the Eagles added five earned runs across the second and third innings to grow the lead.
Six Boston College hitters accumulated multiple hits, while redshirt freshman corner infielder Emma Knight and graduate student utility Sammy Horn drove in three runs and two runs, respectively.
Thanks to sloppy defense by the Eagles, Marist began to mount a comeback. Down 9-0 in the top of the fifth – one out away from being run-ruled – the Red Foxes plated five unearned runs to inch closer. The freshmen pairing of utility player Livia Wiltsie and first baseman/outfielder Lily Roumelis each contributed two-RBI singles in the frame.
Offensively, outside of the unearned runs, the Marist bats were stymied by graduate student pitcher Kelly Colleran. Colleran struck out 13 Red Foxes over 6 1/3 innings, only allowing two earned runs. The valiant comeback proved to be too little, too late, as Marist fell to Boston College 10-7.
On the heels of facing a Power-four opponent, Marist squared off with the tournament host, University of South Florida (USF). The Bulls won their first-ever American Athletic Conference (AAC) title a season ago and were selected to finish second in the 2026 AAC preseason coaches’ poll.
A pitcher’s duel between redshirt sophomore pitcher Stella Blanchard and sophomore pitcher Anne Long took place, but Long and the Bulls came away victorious, 3-1.
Blanchard, named MAAC Pitcher of the Week, continued her strong start to the season by tossing six innings of three-run ball. In five appearances and three starts, Blanchard possesses a 2.02 ERA over 27 2/3 innings pitched.
Long out-dueled her counterpart, hurling six innings of one-run ball (zero earned), striking out seven. The sophomore is pitching to a stellar 0.91 ERA in the early going, allowing only 4 earned runs in 30 2/3 innings pitched
In spite of Blanchard’s quality start, a two-run first inning from the Bulls proved to be the difference. Marist scattered just four hits on the game and struggled mightily with runners in scoring position, going hitless in 11 opportunities.
On Saturday, the Red Foxes could not avoid the big inning, as Saint Joseph’s and Colgate both put up a five-spot that Marist could not come back from.
After a first-inning run from the Hawks, Marist responded with two of its own to give them their first lead of the tournament. Graduate student pitcher Ava Metzger kept Saint Joseph’s at bay despite walking eight in just 4 2/3 innings; junior pitcher/outfielder Anna Sidlowski relieved Metzger and retired senior outfielder Meghan Sinkus to escape a base-loaded jam.
Two much-needed RBI singles with runners in scoring position from junior outfielder Samantha Rogers and Manley in the fifth and sixth innings, respectively, gave Marist a 4-2 lead heading into the seventh inning. With the opportunity to get off the schneid, poor defense reared its ugly head once more.
Saint Joseph’s scored five runs – only one earned – off Sidlowski in the final frame to spoil a potential Red Fox win. Another throwing error by a Marist third baseman, this time from Wiltsie, got the wheels in motion for a Hawks’ rally.
Trailing 5-4 with two outs, the Red Foxes had the chance to escape the inning behind just one run. However, a pinch-hit two-RBI double by freshman utility Alivia Heers extended the Saint Joseph’s lead to three, providing the Hawks with crucial insurance runs. Marist came up empty in the bottom of the seventh, resulting in a third consecutive loss.
To conclude the weekend, Marist took on Colgate University and dropped its fourth straight contest, 6-1.
More of the same occurred for the Red Foxes; they were 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position and allowed the Raiders to tally five runs in the third inning to propel them to victory. The big blow came off the bat of freshman infielder Marina Taveras; her fourth home run of the season – a grand slam off freshman pitcher Kaylie DeChicchis – paved the way for the Raiders to coast the rest of the game.
Senior pitcher Alexa Acker held down the Marist lineup; she allowed one earned run over five innings of work, while fellow senior pitcher Maya Servedio closed out the game with two scoreless innings.
Marist will look to snap its four-game losing streak at the Garnet & Black Invitational hosted by the University of South Carolina. First pitch is set for Friday at 3 p.m. against the Gamecocks.
Edited by Tommy Jacobellis
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