May 9, 2009
Box Score
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - The Marist baseball team split a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference doubleheader with Niagara on Saturday. After suffering a 12-7 loss in the first game, the Red Foxes rebounded for a 7-2 victory in game two behind a complete game from sophomore right-hander Kyle Putnam (New Windsor, N.Y.).
Putnam improved to 4-3 with the win, giving him four victories and three complete games in his last five starts. He tossed a five-hitter, allowing three walks while striking out six. One of the two runs he permitted was unearned.
In game two, Marist took a 1-0 lead in the first on an RBI triple by senior left fielder Brian McDonough (Hanover, Mass.), which scored sophomore third baseman Ricky Pacione (Newburgh, N.Y.). Niagara tied the game in the top of the second, but the Red Foxes erupted for five runs in their half of the inning, a rally keyed by five consecutive hits. The big blow in the inning was a two-run double by freshman center fielder Jon Schwind (Hilton, N.Y.).
Marist added a run in the fourth when senior right fielder Kyle Meyer (East Greenbush, N.Y.) led off the inning with a single before coming around to score on a fielder's choice by Pacione.
Schwind, Pacione and McDonough drove in two runs apiece in the victory. McDonough and Meyer each went 2-for-3, with Meyer scoring a pair of runs. Junior shortstop Richard Curylo (Staten Island, N.Y.) went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
The Red Foxes never led in their game one loss. Niagara scored two runs apiece in the first, second and fourth before Marist cut into the deficit by scoring four times in the bottom of the fourth as six straight Red Foxes reached base safely. Niagara made it 7-4 in the sixth, but the Red Foxes added two runs in the bottom of the inning on an RBI groundout by Schwind and an RBI single by Pacione. However, Niagara pulled away by scoring five times in the eighth, an inning aided by three Marist errors.
Schwind drove in three runs in the first game. Curylo, McDonough, and freshman third baseman George Agostini (Rehoboth, Mass.) had two, while Meyer went 2-for-3 with two runs scored.
Marist now stands at 25-24 overall and 12-8 in the MAAC, while Niagara is 19-31 overall and 13-7 in MAAC play. The Red Foxes stand in fourth place in the conference, just one game behind Niagara and Canisius, who are tied for second.
The Red Foxes and Purple Eagles will conclude their three-game series tomorrow at McCann Baseball Field with a single game starting at noon. Fans can follow all the action on GameTracker or through a live broadcast available on GoRedFoxes.com through Stretch Internet.
