May 4, 2008

Box Score

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - Faced with a must-win second game of a Sunday doubleheader, the Marist softball team came through and defeated the Manhattan Jaspers 2-0 to clinch the fourth-seed in the 2008 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament. Junior Caitlin Carpentier (Andover, Mass.) tossed an absolute gem, and senior Pamela de la Llave (West Orange, N.J.) delivered a two-run homer in the third inning to account for only runs of the contest. The Red Foxes fell 3-1 in a 10-inning marathon in the opener.

The homer was de la Llave's sixth of the season and third of the weekend. It was an opposite field shot that left no question when it left the bat. Carpentier was the best she has been all season. The junior had 11 strikeouts and went the distance for the first time.

Marist got on the board in the third inning of the opener. Mary Beth Pomes (Milford, Pa.) reached on an error with one out and advanced to second on a wild pitch by Manhattan starter Melissa Donnelly. Junior shortstop Melissa Giordano (Stamford, Conn.) followed with an RBI single that gave the Red Foxes a 1-0 lead.

Marist starter Megan Rigos held the Jaspers scoreless until the sixth. Donnelly led off the inning with a single, and Gianna Cirrilli was hit by a pitch. Lyndzie Phillips followed with a bloop single to right, but Cirrilli was forced out second on the play to put runners on first and third with one out. Designated player Ashley Rampino delivered a single to tie the game and Philips advanced to third. The next batter skied to right for the second out, and Jessica Green (Manassas, Va.) overthrew Marist catcher Alison Catenacci (Medfield, Mass.) at home. Rigos, who was backing up the play, was able cleanly catch the throw and tag the Manhattan runner out prior to scoring for the third out.

The game remained tied until the tenth when Manhattan's senior center fielder Kristina Walraven delivered a huge two run homer to right center. Marist got runners on second and third with one out but could not come through with the clutch hit to tie the score, and the Jaspers held on.

Giordano had a remarkable first game. She went 4-for-5 with a double and had Marist's only RBI. Lindsey Kinel (East Hartford, Conn.), Kate Malloy (Fair Haven, N.J.), and Green had the three other Marist hits.

The Red Foxes were out-hit 9-7 in the opener. Amanda Genovese led the Jaspers with two hits, and Walraven provided the late heroics. She was also fantastic in center field the entire afternoon.

Rigos (16-14) took the hard-luck loss on the mound going all 10. She struck out 10 Jaspers' hitters.

The story of game two was the junior Carpentier. She was pretty much untouchable and picked an unbelievable time to turn in her best performance of the year. With the Red Foxes losing the opener, the winner of the second game would get the final spot in the MAAC Tournament and she delivered for Marist.

Carpentier (5-9) retired the first nine she faced, and the score was tied going into the bottom of the third. With one out, Giordano hit a deep fly to the right field wall that the Manhattan right fielder dropped to set the table for de la Llave's clutch home run. It was her team-high sixth of the season, and it gave Marist a much-needed 2-0 lead.

Donnelly started the game two after going all 10 innings in the first game. She was relieved by Allison Smith in the fifth but was charged with the loss.

Carpentier finally gave up a hit in the fourth but never got into any serious trouble. She struck out the side in the sixth, induced a third-to-first ground out to start the seventh, and struck out the last two Manhattan hitters of the game.

"I was impressed with her composure and what she showed our entire team today," Marist Head Coach Erin Layton said. "Her drop was fantastic all game, and she really set the tone for us in that win."

Marist held a 5-2 advantage in hits in the night cap, as de la Llave had three and Malloy had two.

Marist finishes the regular season at 22-28 overall and 8-8 in the MAAC.

Canisius, Niagara, and Fairfield are the top three seeds in the MAAC Tournament. #4 Marist will take on top-seeded Canisius on Thursday at 3:00 p.m.