POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – The Marist softball team is back in action this weekend with five games at the RDU/RTP Challenge hosted by NC State in Raleigh, North Carolina.

SCHEDULE
The Red Foxes will start play with three games, one game each against Kennesaw State University, North Carolina State University, and Niagara University. Marist will play Kennesaw State and North Carolina State in a doubleheader on Friday, and Niagara on Saturday morning. After all three games are completed, the teams will be re-seeded and the first round of the bracket will be played on Saturday. The Red Foxes will then play in either the championship or a consolation game on Sunday. All games against NC State will be broadcast live on ACC Network Extra. The full schedule is below:
 
Friday:

• 12:15 P.M. vs Kennesaw State
• 4:45 P.M. vs North Carolina State

Saturday:

• 10 A.M. vs Niagara
• TBA vs TBA

Sunday

• TBA vs TBA

 
LAST TIME OUT
The Red Foxes went 0-5 at the Reveille Classic last weekend against some premier competition. The team lost two games on Friday, losing 6-2 to UConn and losing 7-0 to nationally ranked Texas A&M. On Saturday, Marist went 0-2, losing 3-1 to UConn and losing 2-1 to Michigan State. The Red Foxes closed out the tournament on Sunday with a 4-1 loss to Texas A&M.
 
Key Stats from the Reveille Classic:

• Marist pitchers threw complete games in three of the five games they played. Junior Megan Beiermeister, freshman Nicole Teague, and junior Kallen Lesseberg had one each.
• Sophomore Ali Milam smacked her team leading third homerun of the season against Texas A&M
• Milam had six hits in the tournament, raising her season batting average to .400.
• Freshman Caroline Baratta also had six hits, raising her season average to .378

 
AWARDS
The Red Foxes had two players earn Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference awards this past week. Milam earned Player of the Week honors after a week in which she hit .458/.536/.833 to go along with two home runs and eight RBIs. Baratta was named Rookie of the Week for the second time this season, after hitting .357 with ten total hits in Marist's eight games this past week. On top of that, she scored four runs, had two RBIs, earned three walks, and was 3-3 in stolen base attempts.
 
SCOUTING KENNESAW STATE
The Owls are 18-10 so far this season. Last time out, Kennesaw State played a double-header against Liberty, splitting two games. The owls won the first game 8-0, but lost the second game 7-1. Overall, the team is hitting .290/.358/.446 with a team ERA of 2.22. Patricia Awald leads the team in batting average (.431), homers (6), total bases (54), and runs (25). Alley Cutting has a team-best 1.43 ERA in 68.2 innings and has tossed a team best seven complete games. She is 6-5 on the season and has 60 strike outs. She also leads the team with two saves.
 

SCOUTING NORTH CAROLINA STATE
The Wolfpack are 15-11 so far this season. Most recently, they played a three-game series against ACC opponent Georgia Tech, finishing with a 1-2 record. NCSU was shutout 3-0 in Friday but bounced back on Saturday with a 4-2 win. The Wolfpack were shut out again on Sunday 5-0. Overall, the team is hitting .270/.360/.418 with a team ERA of 2.90. Devin Wallace has thrown a whopping 99 innings already this season, including seven complete games. She has a 9-5 record with a 2.40 ERA and 75 strikeouts. Chandley Garner has a team-best .317 average and also leads the team with five homers, and 19 RBIs.
 
SCOUTING NIAGARA
The Purple Eagles are 5-13 thus far this season. Last weekend, they participated in the Under Armour Showcase, finishing 1-3. They then played a game against Florida International University the next day and lost 6-5. Overall, the team is hitting .241/.337/.354 with an ERA of 5.37. Rachel Funk has a team leading .343 batting average along with a tie for the team lead with two doubles. Karsen Cotton leads the Purple Eagles with an ERA of 2.92 in 38.1 innings and 19 strikeouts.

NEXT UP
The Red Foxes will host their home opener at Gartland Field on Wednesday, April 4 in a doubleheader against Army. First pitch is scheduled for 2 P.M.