April 13, 2006

Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

BRONX, N.Y. - For the second straight day it was a grand slam that propelled the Marist Softball team to victory. Jasmery Polanco's blast in the seventh inning with the Foxes down by a run sent Marist to a 7-4 victory in game one of a non-league doubleheader with Fordham Thursday afternoon. Marist fell to the Rams in game two by a 7-3 score, as the Foxes split their third straight twinbill.

Marist fell behind early in the opening game as Fordham plated a single run in the first inning and two more in the third. None of the Rams first three runs were earned as Marist made three errors in the first three innings to put itself down by three. The Foxes would overcome a total of four miscues in the game.

Marist would chip away at the lead as it scored a run in the fourth inning as Melissa Giordano (Stamford, Conn.) connected on her second home run of the season to cut the deficit to 3-1. The Rams would regain the three run advantage in the bottom half of the inning on a Krystle Henry RBI single to left field.

Marist would add another run in the fifth when Chrystine McHugh (Port Ewen, N.Y.) slammed her twelfth home run to bring Marist back to within two runs at 4-2.

Neither team would tally in the sixth, which set the stage for the final inning dramatics for the Red Foxes. Trailing 4-2 with just three outs left Marist plated five runs on just two hits. Laurissa Riley (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) led off the inning with a walk and was forced to second after Christine Jakobsen (Midland Park, N.Y.) was hit by a pitch. With two on and one out Bridget Hurlman (Yonkers, N.Y.) drove a double to right field that plated Riley to cut the deficit to one run. With runners on second and third, Jessica Green (Manassas, Va.) worked out a walk to load the bases with one out. With just one pitch Marist went from down a run to up three as Polanco drove Marist's second game winning grand slam in as many days out to right field to give Marist the final 7-4 advantage.

Megan Rigos (Pittsburgh, Pa.) pitched a scoreless seventh to record her eighteenth complete game and move her record to 16-3 on the season. She gave up seven hits in the game and allowed four runs, only one of which was earned. She fanned five Rams in the win.

The Rams got their revenge in game two of the set as Marist could not get around three errors in the game. The Foxes jumped out early as McHugh led off the game with her thirteenth home run of the season to give Marist a 1-0 lead after the first.

The 1-0 advantage would hold up until Fordham hung three runs on the board in the fourth as it strung together five hits and took advantage of one Marist error.

Marist would tie the score in the top of the sixth inning at 3-3 on an RBI double by Green and a sacrifice fly by Giordano. Marist had a runner cut down at the plate which would have given them a one run advantage.

Fordham put the game out of reach in the home half of the sixth as it scored four times on RBI singles by Allison Storc and Laura Klaiber and a two-run double by Henry to give them the 7-3 win.

With its third straight split, Marist stands at 25-8 on the season. The Red Foxes will be off until after the Easter break when they host MAAC rival Canisius on April 22.