POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – The Marist softball team clinched the #1 seed in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championships on Saturday. The Red Foxes split a home doubleheader against conference rival Canisius, earning a 5-1 victory in game one before falling 6-3 in game two.

Prior to the doubleheader, Marist honored its senior class of Maureen Duddy, Colleen McWilliams, and Kyrsten Van Natta. Van Natta broke the program's all-time record for RBIs in the first game.

Here is a closer look at each contest:

Game One – Marist 5, Canisius 1

The first hit of the game occurred in the bottom of the third, when freshman second baseman Claire Oberdorf hit an opposite field home run off the right field scoreboard, which also plated Duddy and gave Marist a 2-0 lead.

The Red Foxes added to their lead with single runs in the fourth, fifth, and sixth. In the fourth, senior right fielder Janna Korak led off with a double and scored on a sacrifice fly by sophomore designated player Gabrielle Kelliher. In the fifth, Duddy singled, stole second, and scored on an RBI single by Van Natta, which gave her a program record 139 runs driven in for her career.

Canisius scored its lone run in the top of the sixth on a fielder's choice. In the bottom half of the inning, an RBI double by Korak brought home sophomore Kourtney Paul, who was pinch running for junior catcher Rebecca Freeman, who had led off the inning with a double.

Junior Jayne Oberdorf (12-3) pitched a complete game four-hitter to earn her 11^th consecutive win. Oberdorf struck out four and walked just one. She threw 55 of her 87 pitches for strikes.

Offensively, Korak finished with two doubles, a run scored, and an RBI. Van Natta was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Duddy was 1-for-2 with two runs scored and two stolen bases.

For Canisius, center fielder Jessica Berzins was 2-for-3 with a run scored. Madi Weathers (8-9) pitched a complete game and allowed seven hits.

Game Two – Canisius 6, Marist 3

Canisius opened the scoring in the third on an RBI double by Berzins, but Marist took the lead in the fourth on a two-run homer by Freeman. However, the Golden Griffins grabbed the lead back in the fifth with two runs on a wild pitch and double steal attempt.

Canisius padded its lead with a three-run seventh in which the Golden Griffins had four hits, three of which were infield singles. Marist loaded the bases with no one out in the bottom of the seventh, which brought the tying run to the plate, but was only able to score once.

Korak and sophomore third baseman Brittany Colombo each went 2-for-3 for Marist. Red-shirt junior Jessica Van Alphen (10-3) started and allowed three runs in 5.2 innings. She struck out four and walked just one.

Berzins, right fielder Lindsey Silfer, and third baseman Samantha Sharkey each had three hits for the Golden Griffins. Sharkey scored three runs. Erika Mackie (11-12) pitched a complete game seven-hitter for the victory.

Marist is now 41-10 overall and 16-2 in the MAAC. Canisius is 22-30 overall and 13-7 in the MAAC.

The Red Foxes close out the regular season on Sunday, with a MAAC doubleheader at Siena. First pitch of game one is scheduled for noon. By virtue of earning the #1 seed, the MAAC Softball Championship will now take place at Gartland Field from Wednesday, May 11 through Saturday, May 14. Marist will open play on Thursday, May 12.