Lubbock, TX — In a battle of northeast foes at the Lubbock Regional of the NCAA Tournament, Boston University defeated Marist 10-2 in five innings to end the Red Foxes’ season.
“I told the team after the game that this is my favorite championship team I’ve ever had,” Marist head coach Joe Ausanio said. “Not only on the field, but in the classroom and in their everyday lives. I couldn’t be more proud.”
Saturday’s game had a similar feel to Friday’s loss against Texas Tech. Marist jumped in front 2-0 courtesy of a first inning, two-run home run off the bat of graduate student infielder Haley Ahr, but the Terriers scored 10 unanswered runs to secure the run-rule victory.
Boston University used a seven-run third inning to distance itself from Marist. Junior pitcher/outfielder Anna Sidlowski—who has been hurt by shaky defense all season—allowed eight runs (four earned) on eight hits. On the season, Sidlowski surrendered 100 runs; 30 of those were unearned.
Following the Ahr home run, senior pitcher Kasey Ricard settled in nicely. The NCAA’s leader in starts (46) and innings pitched (241.1) cruised through the final four innings; Ricard yielded just one hit and struck out six.
A wild pitch from Sidlowski set up runners on second and third with two outs for sophomore utility Kieran McHugh, and she poked a two-RBI single to knot the contest at two. McHugh led the Terriers with five RBIs and was one of four players to record multiple hits.
In the bottom of the third, the Terriers sent 13 hitters to the plate in a seven-run inning that put the game out of reach. With a runner on first base, senior infielder Megan Coyle laced a sharply hit ground ball that freshman utility Livia Wiltsie could not handle; a potential double play ball permitted the Terrier offense to get rolling.
McHugh and junior outfielder Sophie Naivar struck consecutive fly balls in the vicinity of freshman utility McKenna Manley in left field. Manley—shading her eyes from the sun—did not get a good beat on either. Each fly ball bounced over the wall for a pair of ground-rule doubles to give Boston a 6-2 lead.
With two outs, the Terriers provided Ricard with some breathing room. Senior pitcher Olivia DeLong poked a seeing-eye single through the right side, and freshman outfielder/infielder Irys Kline deposited a pinch-hit, two-run blast half way up the bleachers in left field to lengthen the lead to six. Graduate student pitcher Ava Metzger relieved Sidlowski, and after surrendering two hits upon entry, walked in the final run scored in the frame.
Sophomore pitcher Emma Bayor entered for Metzger in the fifth; Bayor’s appearance on Saturday meant that Ausanio was able to get every player on his roster into either game. This year’s Lubbock Regional marks the second consecutive year that Ausanio got each player in.
“This may be the only opportunity for some of these kids to go to a regional and I made sure to get them in,” Ausanio said. “I think that will go a lot further for them in their lifetime to say ‘hey, not only did I go to a regional, but I got to play in it.’”
The defeat concluded the careers of Ahr, Metzger, senior outfielder Peyton Pusey and senior catcher Isabella Manory. Ahr, Pusey and Manory leave Poughkeepsie as the winningest class in program history and three-time MAAC champions, and with a coach that left a meaningful impact on their lives.
“He wanted us to choose Marist for every aspect of our lives, not just softball,” Pusey said. “We’ve succeeded plenty, but he wants you to be successful outside of that. I appreciate that, and I think it’s a tell as to why we don’t have people transfer.”
“I tell every recruit, there’s two things I want to happen,” Ausanio said. “I want to be the first reference on their resume when they are looking for jobs and I want to be invited to their weddings. I’m not necessarily going to go, but I will definitely send a nice check.”
For a program that has experienced lots of success on the field, one thing remains clear: the players do not want to do it anywhere else.
Edited by Max Rosen
Graphic by Jaylen Rizzo
Photo from Marist Athletics
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