On a gloomy Saturday afternoon at McCann Field, Marist Baseball dropped game two of a three-game set to Sacred Heart in a 15-1 loss on senior day.
Redshirt-junior right-handed pitcher Tyler Hartley got roughed up by the aggressive Sacred Heart offense. Hartley recorded only two innings of work after giving up five runs—four of which were earned—on six hits and two walks. The bullpen struggled as well, totaling seven relief pitchers used as they allowed eight runs.
The Marist offense fell flat after an explosive performance in game one on Friday, a 9-1 victory. The Red Foxes could not seem to figure out Sacred Heart’s starter, graduate student right-handed pitcher Ryan Parker. They left 11 men on base and strung together a mere six hits and one run.
“We keep putting pressure on each other,” said Marist head coach Lance Ratchford. “We give up big leads early, so the pitchers are putting pressure on the position players to play catch-up and play from behind, which makes it a little tougher. We’ve got to start playing more connected baseball where we’re not putting pressure on each other.”
Twin brothers, junior utility players Gavin and Ronan Donohue, were unstoppable at the plate for the Pioneers. Gavin Donohue went 3-for-6 with two RBIs, and a pair of doubles and stolen bases. Ronan Donohue was 4-for-5 with two RBI’s, three runs scored and a double.
Gavin Donohue doubled to drive in a run and open the scoring in the top of the first. Ronan Donohue doubled to lead off the second inning before a sacrifice fly scored him, and a bases-loaded walk extended the Pioneer lead to three.
Ronan Donohue continued to pour on runs for Sacred Heart, as his RBI single made it a 4-0 ballgame before an error by senior first basemen Kyle Pollack, Marist’s second error in the inning, allowed two unearned runs to score.
The bottom of the third inning saw Marist make some noise on the basepaths. Brotz broke Marist’s three-inning hitless streak with a two-out double before sophomore infielder Noel Rivera worked himself a walk. Graduate student outfielder Nathan Lincoln struck out, leaving two runners on and ending the Marist threat.
In the fourth inning, Gavin Donohue ripped his second double of the day and came all the way around to score Sacred Heart’s seventh run. The Pioneers broke the game open in the fifth when junior outfielder Peter Link hit a loud grand slam to extend the lead to 11. The Red Foxes only run came in the bottom of the fifth, courtesy of an RBI single driven by Rivera to score Brotz.
The Pioneers drove in four more runs across the eighth and ninth innings to complete their offensive showcase, while Marist had opportunities with runners in scoring position but could not capitalize on them.
“I actually liked our at-bats today. I thought we were on the barrel a lot, a lot of hard-hit balls all day. I didn’t hate our at-bats, and I think we’re gonna come right back out tomorrow, and we can be the team that we were on Friday,” said coach Ratchford.
The final game of the series will be played today at noon at McCann Baseball Field.
Edited by Max Rosen
Photo by Cassidy Connors
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