On a beautiful but windy Sunday afternoon at Gartland Athletic Field, Marist closed out its three-game series against Rider with a victory, following a split in Saturday’s doubleheader.
In a back-and-forth game, the freshman utility player Livia Wiltsie delivered the edge the Red Foxes needed with a lead-off double in the sixth inning to secure the 7-6 victory over the Broncos and head coach Joe Ausanio’s 500th program win.
“I feel like I definitely helped contribute today,” said Wiltsie. “Having my team’s support and being able to come up in big, crucial moments is really important.”
While the game was a high-scoring one with 23 combined hits, graduate student pitcher Ava Metzger had a dominant outing and let up only one hit over 4 innings. Metzger had a bounce-back performance after a tough doubleheader on Saturday.
“I feel really good about my performance,” said Metzger. “I mean, yesterday wasn’t necessarily my A game, so I kind of went home and focused on my mentality of the game instead of the physicality.”
After several errors in the first inning, Marist trailed by two early on. Marist eventually tied the score in the bottom of the second, with Rider responding almost immediately in the top of the third.
Marist eventually retook the lead in the bottom of the sixth, which capped off a series win for the Red Foxes.
Compared to Saturday’s double header, Marist approached significantly better at the plate, producing 14 hits and seven runs. That was a big improvement, and it was noticeable to Ausanio, who mentioned that the team was able to learn from their mistakes. This was another MAAC series win for the team; it should set them well for their next matchup. There was a lot Ausanio liked from the win.
“Well, I loved our grit,” said Ausanio. ”You know, we really tried to stay positive.”
If Marist can continue to show that level of grit and determination, it will serve them well.
The two wins over Rider capped off another series win for Marist. The Red Foxes will look to continue their winning ways with an upcoming matchup against Quinnipiac on April 18, with the first pitch being set for noon.
Edited and Graphic by Cara Lacey
Photo by Quinn DiFiore
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