March 20, 2011
Box Score
EL PASO, Texas - The Marist softball team was defeated 11-2 and 9-8 in a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at UTEP. Junior first baseman Nicole DiVirgilio (Aston, Pa.) batted a combined 6-for-8 on the day, and junior centerfielder Ashley Corriss (Sayville, N.Y.) homered in the first game for the Red Foxes.
In game one, Marist fell behind UTEP 2-0 in the bottom of the first inning after a two-out, two-run single by the Miners. After a scoreless second inning, Marist went down in order in the top of the third, while UTEP tacked on two more runs in the bottom half of the inning to extend their lead to 4-0.
The Red Foxes left the bases loaded in the top of the fourth inning, and the Miners capitalized with three runs in the bottom of the inning to take a 7-0 lead.
Marist responded in the top of the fifth inning after a leadoff single by sophomore Sarah Carmody (Camarillo, Calif.) and a two-run homerun by Corriss to cut the deficit to five. The next two Marist hitters were retired, and UTEP went on to score four runs in the bottom of the fifth to claim the 11-2 victory.
The second game of the doubleheader began with a similar feeling to that of the first game. The Red Foxes were held scoreless through the first three innings and trailed 6-0 entering the top of the fourth. That was when junior utility Megan Lamoureux (Woonsocket, R.I.) hit a two-run double with two outs in the inning. Marist held UTEP scoreless in the bottom-half of the inning, but did not counter in the top of the fifth, while the Miners added a run to extend their lead to 7-2.
The Red Foxes rallied in the top of the sixth inning, scoring five runs on four hits to tie the game at seven. Fueling the Marist comeback was a leadoff single by freshman Nicole Van Loan (Kingston, N.Y.). DiVirgilio followed with an RBI double to left field, scoring Schell and advancing Lamoureux to third base.
After Freshman Haley Birnbaum (Lido Beach, N.Y.) reached on a run-scoring fielding error by the Miners, and Alyssa Zahka (Lexington, Mass.) walked, UTEP made a pitching change. Marist popped-out for the second out of the inning, before Klemmer stepped to the plate for the second time in the inning, and forced a bases-loaded walk to draw the score even at 7-7. The Red Foxes left the bases loaded at the conclusion of the inning.
UTEP reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning on a solo homerun, but Marist once again tied the game on a two-out, RBI single by Birnbaum in the top of the seventh.
Drama would ensue in the bottom of the seventh as the Miners forced a bases-loaded walk, for the walk-off victory.
The Red Foxes fell to 11-12 on the season UTEP improved to 15-13 overall.
Marist will return north and travel to New Haven, Conn. to take on Yale in a doubleheader on March 23. First pitch for game one is set for 2:30 p.m.
