WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - After five and a half weeks of relatively quiet offense, the Marist Softball team exploded on Wednesday in its doubleheader sweep at Hartford. The Red Foxes pounded Hartford's pitching staff for a combined 25 hits, 11 of which were of the extra-base variety. Strong pitching by freshmen Janine Lalli (Eastchester, N.Y.) and Melanie White (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) backed up the offense in the team's 6-5 and 3-1 victories with 10 strikeouts in 13.2 innings pitched.

GAME 1, MARIST 6 - HARTFORD 5: In a trend that would continue in 13 of their 14 innings on the afternoon, the Red Foxes opened up Game One with a hit in the first inning. Senior Nicole DiVirgilio (Aston, Pa.) collected the hit as she doubled to right field.

Marist would have to wait until the second inning to push its first run across home plate though. Following a leadoff walk by sophomore Haley Birnbaum (Lido Beach, N.Y.), junior Sarah Carmody (Camarillo, Calif.) would come up two batters later to drive in Marist's initial run. The team threatened again later in the inning with two outs as the Red Foxes would load the bases on a combination of a walk, single and hit by pitch. Unfortunately for Marist, Hartford's starting pitcher Kaitlyn Meade would leave the trio stranded.

Following a Hartford run in the bottom of the second inning, the Red Foxes would retake the lead for good in the top of the fourth on a two-run home run by junior Danielle Koltz (Chenango Bridge, N.Y.) .

Sophomore outfielder Aly Klemmer (Hamilton, N.J.) extended Marist's lead to 4-2 with a solo home run in the top of the fifth.

One inning later, senior Megan Lamoureux (Woonsocket, R.I.) took the slow trot around the bases with her second home run of the season.

The host Hawks would chip away on the 5-2 score with single run in the bottom of the sixth.

Sophomore Alyssa Zahka (Lexington, Mass.) would lead off the seventh inning with a double to left-center field. Two batters later, Klemmer would collect her second RBI of the game with a run-scoring double of Zahka.

That sixth run by Marist would prove important, as the Hawks would mount a three-run comeback in the bottom of the seventh before coming up short at 6-5.

For the game, the Red Foxes outhit Hartford 12-9. Eight of the nine batters in the starting lineup would reach base, six via hits. DiVirgilio led a group of five Marist hitters with multiple hits, as she went 3-4. Taylor Kuzma (Freehold, N.J.) (2-4), Koltz (2-3), Zahka (2-4) and Klemmer (2-4) were the other four Red Foxes.

In the circle, Janine Lalli earned her team-high sixth win of 2012 with 6.2 innings of two-run ball. She retired four Hawks via strikeouts and 10 more through ground outs.

GAME 2, MARIST 3 - HARTFORD 1: Following six extra-base hits in Game One, the Red Foxes would nearly duplicate that production in Game Two versus Hartford. Senior Ashley Corriss (Sayville, N.Y.) would get the hit parade going with a leadoff double in the top of the first inning.

After a scoreless first, Birnbaum would give Marist its first lead on a solo home run in the top of the second. This was the second baseman's first long ball of the season.

Following a 3-up, 3-down bottom of the second inning, Marist's offense would be back at it quickly in the top of the third. Junior Joelle Zahka (Lexington, Mass.) would spearhead the offense in this frame with a leadoff home run to left-center field; the first of her career at Marist.

Starting Pitcher Melanie White would retire the Hawks in order again in the bottom of the third. In similar fashion to the prior inning, the Red Foxes would carry on their momentum at the plate. Junior Christina Lausch (Lancaster, Pa.) set the wheels in motion for Marist's third run with a one-out double to center field. She'd be driven in, two batters later by Corriss, who tripled to right-center field.

The game's scoring would go final at 3-1 in the bottom of the fourth as Hartford tallied its lone run.

Though the scoring was complete, Marist's offense still threatened in each of the final three innings with runners on base in each. Their sixth inning was the only frame in which the Red Foxes did not have a hit, though a hit by pitch of Lamoureux gave the team a perfect 14 for 14 day in having at least one runner on base.

White shut down Hartford down the stretch with no hits in the final three innings. For the game, she went a complete seven innings with six strikeouts and just one run allowed.

As a team, Marist outhit Hartford 13-3. Eight of its nine starting batters had hits and all nine reached base in the seven innings of action. Birnbaum with her 3-4 game at the plate led a quartet of batters with multiple hits; Corriss went 2-4, DiVirgilio 2-4 and Alyssa Zahka 2-3.

For the doubleheader, Marist hit .403 (25-62) and had a .464 (32-69) on-base percentage. DiVirgilio posted the highest batting average at .625 (5-8).  Of the 11 batters, who had plate appearances, nine had extra-base hits. Aside from hitting, the Red Foxes stole five bases.

Marist will be off for a week before getting back into non-conference play on Wednesday, April 4 at home versus Columbia. Game One of the doubleheader is slated for 3 p.m.