April 25, 2009
Box Score
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. - The Marist softball team began its final weekend of Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play on Saturday afternoon in western New York with a doubleheader at Niagara. The Red Foxes took the first game of the afternoon, 3-1, before being outscored, 12-10 in the night cap. Seniors Melissa Giordano (Stamford, Conn.) and Lindsey Kinel (East Hartford, Conn.) each had four hits on the afternoon. One hit for each was a home run.
Marist now stands at 15-31 overall and 8-6 in the MAAC with two conference games to play.
The Red Foxes did all their damage in the first game in the top half of the fifth inning behind two Marist home runs. Kinel led the inning off with a solo home run, her third of the season. After sophomores McCallion Campbell (Port Jervis, N.Y.) and Heather Young (Saugerties, N.Y.) were retired, senior Mary Beth Pomes (Milford, Pa.) hit a two-out double to left field. The next batter, Giordano, hit her team leading seventh home run of the season. After four and a half innings, Marist led 3-0.
The Purple Eagles would get one run back in the bottom of the seventh inning as Heather Lohrman led off with a solo home run to left field. The one run would be all Niagara could muster, as senior pitcher Caitlin Carpentier (Andover, Mass.)retired the remainder Purple Eagles batting order in the last half of the seventh.
Carpentier threw a complete game to earn the win as she struck out six batters in the game. With the win, she improved to 9-14 this season. She sent down the Niagara lineup in order in the second and fourth innings. The three spots in the batting order were the fifth, sixth and seventh slots for Niagara.
In the back end of the twinbill, Marist jumped out to a 2-0 lead after a half inning. Freshman Jessica Green (Manassas, Va.) each scored unearned runs in the inning.
After three Niagara ground outs in the bottom of the first, the Marist offense continued to hit the ball. The team posted six more runs in the second inning to build an 8-0 advantage for freshman starter Caitlin Schell (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.).
The first three batters in the second inning reached base for Marist: Campbell on a walk, Lindsay Durant (Martinsville, N.J.) on a single to center field and Pomes on an error. The trio would come around to score on hits by Lamoureux, Green and Nicole DiVirgilio (Aston, Pa.).
Niagara would get all six runs back in its turn at bat in the bottom of the second. The Purple Eagles sent 11 batters to the plate in the inning and all six runs scored were earned. After two innings, Marist led 8-6.
The Purple Eagles tied the game in the bottom of the fourth inning as Teresa Healy hit a two-run home run off Carpentier to knot the game at eight a piece.
Marist would reclaim the two-run advantage in the top of the fifth. Giordano led the inning off with a single to center field. Green drove Giordano in with a double to right field for the first run of the inning. Three batters later, Kinel hit a single to left center field to score Green. The Red Foxes led 10-8 half way through the fourth inning.
Niagara delivered its final blow in the bottom of the fifth as they scored four runs to take the lead for good. Kristin Kill drove in two of the four runs in the inning with a two out triple to right field, which scored Felicia Coffey and Maggie McDonald.
Marist will conclude MAAC play on Sunday at noon as they remain in western New York to face the Canisius Golden Griffins in a doubleheader. Currently the Golden Griffins stand at 7-5 in conference play with two games in hand.
