JERSEY CITY, N.J. – It's often said that teams bemoan playing on road and that they would much rather prefer the friendly confines of their home ballpark, well on Sunday the Marist Softball team felt right at home at Saint Peter's Jaroschak Field to the tune of 28 combined runs, 35 hits and most importantly two MAAC victories.
With its two five-inning run-rule shortened wins, a 17-0 decision in Game One, as well as an 11-3 outcome in Game Two, Marist moved into first place in the MAAC and clinched a spot in the upcoming conference championships that will be held on May 9 through 11.
As a team, Marist hit .565 as a team and posted a .605 on-base percentage versus Saint Peter's on Sunday. On the strength of 14 extra-base hits, nine doubles and five home runs, the team slugged .952 on the day.
Freshman Maureen Duddy (San Mateo, Calif.) and sophomore Janine Lalli (Eastchester, N.Y.) led the team in batting average as the duo went an astonishing 13-for-13 from the plate, with Duddy accumulating seven hits and Lalli six. The pair and their 16 combined plate appearances also came around to score 13 runs.
Senior Danielle Koltz (Chenango Bridge, N.Y.), junior Alyssa Zahka (Lexington, Mass.) and freshman Nicole Cheek (Simi Valley, Calif.) did the heavy lifting in the run production department, as Koltz led the team with eight RBIs on four extra-base hits; both Zahka and Cheek registered five RBIs.
In the circle, senior Emily Osterhaus (Suwanee, Ga.) set down the Peacocks in Game One for the complete game shutout, while junior Paige Lewis (Temecula, Calif.) got the victory in Game Two.
GAME ONE, MARIST 17 – SAINT PETER'S 0 (F/5): In a well-rounded team effort, the Red Foxes put runs on the scoreboard in each of their five offensive frames in the run-rule shortened contest.
In the first inning, singles by Maureen Duddy (San Mateo, Calif.), Nicole Cheek (Simi Valley, Calif.) and Alyssa Zahka (Lexington, Mass.) manufactured Marist's first run.
The Red Foxes' first big inning came in the second when Janine Lalli (Eastchester, N.Y.) led off with a single down the right field line. Three batters later, Danielle Koltz (Chenango Bridge, N.Y.) started the driving in of runs as she singled in Lalli with base hit to right-center field. After a sacrifice fly by Cheek plated Duddy, Zahka cleared the bases with a two-run home run to center field.
Up 5-0, Marist would stretch its lead further with a single run in the top of the third when Cheek singled to left-center field to drive in Lalli.
Over their final two frames, the Red Foxes would push across 11 runs on the strength of 11 hits, two walks drawn and a Saint Peter's error. In the fourth, Marist registered home runs off of the bat of Kyrsten Van Natta (Maplewood, N.J.) and Cheek. Red Foxes with doubles included, Lalli and Koltz, who recorded two each, Duddy and Van Natta.
Osterhaus would close out the complete game shutout with a three-up, three-down bottom of the fifth inning versus the Peacocks.
In the 17-0 victory, the Red Foxes outhit the Peacocks 20-4 with seven players registering two or more base knocks. Both Duddy (4-4) and Lalli (3-3) were perfect from the plate, while Koltz, Cheek and Zahka all finished with four RBIs.
Osterhaus improved her record to 10-8 on the season with a final stat line of 5.0 innings pitched, four hits allowed and two strikeouts.
GAME TWO, MARIST 11 – SAINT PETER'S 3 (F/5): Trying to keep pace with their explosive Game One output, the Red Foxes came out swinging in Game Two. In the top of the first inning, the Red Foxes once again plated a single run as Cheek singled in her classmate and fellow Californian Duddy from second base in the third at bat of the game.
In the second, Marist started putting space between itself and Saint Peter's when Lalli and Duddy reached on infield singles. With two on, Koltz cleared the bases with a three-run home run. This longball was the 25th of the senior's decorated career; earlier this weekend versus Manhattan she collected her 100th career RBI, as well. Her home run total is third-best in Marist history, while she's fourth all-time in RBIs.
Marist's only scoreless inning of the entire doubleheader came in the third.
With the score 4-0, the Red Foxes scored two more runs in the top of the fourth when back-to-back walks to Duddy and Koltz set the stage for Zahka to drive in both.
Marist pushed the game into a run-rule shortened situation in the top of the fifth inning with three straight hits by the 6-7-8 part of its order. Van Natta scored the first run of the frame on an RBI single off of the bat of Lalli. When the dust had settled in the Red Foxes' offensive onslaught, 11 players had taken at bats and combined for two doubles and five singles on their way to going up 11-0 over the Peacocks.
Saint Peter's broke through onto the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth as Lee Harrison tagged Marist starter Paige Lewis for a three-run homer.
In the 11-3 victory, the Red Foxes outhit the Peacocks 15-6 with nine individual players being credited with base hits. For the second straight game the duo of Duddy (3-3) and Lalli (3-3) were perfect for the plate. Also mirroring her Game One performance was Koltz, who drove in four RBIs.
With the win, Lewis improved to 5-5 on the season with a final stat line of 5.0 innings pitched, six hits, three runs allowed and five strikeouts.
As a team Marist upped its record to 24-22 and 10-4 in the MAAC. With a host of other results in the MAAC on Sunday, the Red Foxes moved into first place in the standings and more importantly earned a berth in the 2013 MAAC Championships.
The Red Foxes will be back in action on Tuesday, April 30 with a single non-conference game at home versus Yale. The first pitch of the contest is slated for 2:30 p.m.
