April 14, 2011
Final Stats
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. The Marist softball team (23-14) swept the Hartford Hawks (3-25) on a pair of dramatic walk-off hits on Thursday afternoon. Sophomore Danielle Koltz (Chenango Bridge, N.Y.) was the hero of game one as she crushed the first pitch she saw in the bottom of the seventh inning to deep center field to give the Red Foxes a 6-5 victory. In Game two, a line-drive double off the bat of junior Caitlin Schell (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) proved to be the game-winner as Koltz sprinted in from second to score the winning third run.
Game 1
In a back and forth affair, Hartford got onto the scoreboard first off of an Amber Andrews double to left center in the top of the second. Holding the Hawks to one run in this inning proved pivotal as Marist initially faced a situation with two runners in scoring position with no outs. One Hartford was erased via a sparkling back-handed stab by freshman shortstop Alyssa Zahka (Lexington, Mass.), who ranged to her right, gathered herself and threw a bullet home to nail Hartford's Melani Maxwell. A second Hartford runner was later erased on a strong Megan Lamoureux (Woonsocket, R.I.) throw as the Hawks attempted to steal second.
Building off their defense, the Red Fox offense responded in the bottom of the second with three runs. Koltz plated the team's first run with a solo blast to right center field. Her fifth homer of the year was followed up by a two-run single by junior Nicole DiVirgilio (Aston, Pa.), who drove in juniors Ashley Corriss (Sayville, N.Y.) and Lindsay Durant (Martinsville, N.J.).
Down 3-1 in the top of the third, it was the Hawks' turn to respond and they did as two runners crossed the plate to even the score. In the bottom half of the frame, the Red Fox offense manufactured another run as Durant roped a double to center field to drive in Zahka.
In the fourth inning, the Hawks got on the scoreboard again. Faced with a two-out situation for the third straight inning, singles by Kate Wacyk and Nicole Springer and Chelsea Mooney set the stage for a two-run RBI by Melani Maxwell.
Trailing 5-4 in the bottom of the fifth, Marist evened up the score as sophomore Sarah Carmody (Camarillo, Calif.) came off of the bench and took charge. Showing great composure throughout the at-bat, she worked the count full and nearly had a double that was just barely ruled foul. Unfazed she came back and hit a hard line-drive double to the fence to score Durant, who had previously singled.
Each team went scoreless in the sixth. Reliever Paige Lewis (Temecula, Calif.) came up huge in the top of the seventh inning as she put the Hawks down in order with two strikeouts and a ground out.
In a mirror image of Sunday's game one versus Iona, Koltz stepped to the plate and took the first pitch she saw deep to center field well over the 210 marker at Gartland Park. The Red Foxes were victorious, 6-5.
Lewis picked up the win with 4.2 innings pitched out of the bullpen as she improved her record to 10-5.
For the game, Koltz notched her team-leading fifth and sixth home runs of the season. DiVirgilio (3-3) and Durant (2-2) led the team with their perfect games at the plate.
Game 2
Building off of the exciting finish of their first game, the Red Foxes came out in the second game looking to put Hartford away early. On the strength of a two-run Aly Klemmer (Hamilton, N.J.) home run in the bottom of the first, Marist staked themselves to a 2-0 lead.
On the defensive side of the ball, it was all about sophomore Emily Osterhaus' performance in the circle. In her first six innings, she set the Hawks down in order four times, in the other two innings, she allowed just four batters to come to the plate. In her first six innings, she struck out seven batters.
Coming up for their last at-bats and facing a 2-0 deficit, the Hawks managed to tie the game up on the strength of a Melani Maxwell two-run homer.
Faced with a similar situation as in Game One, Marist came to the plate in the bottom of the seventh inning calm and collected. After Koltz reached on a fielder's choice, Carmody singled to right field to place runners on first and second with two outs. Caitlin Schell stepped to bat next and drove the first pitch she saw to the centerfield gap, scoring Koltz for the game-winning run. The Red Foxes won by a score of 3-2
Osterhaus collected the win, her tenth of the season as she pitched a complete game three-hitter.
Klemmer also came up large for the Red Foxes as she went two for three with a home run and double on the day.
With this sweep, the Red Foxes stretch their win streak to 11 games, the longest win streak since the 2006 team put together 15 wins in a row from Mar. 25 to April 9.
The Red Foxes will next be in action on Saturday, April 16 as they return to MAAC action in a twinbill at Saint Peter's. The first game is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
