POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – The Marist softball team has added a doubleheader against Holy Cross to its schedule for Thursday, March 29. The games will be held at Gartland Field, and it will be the Red Foxes' home opener of the 2018 season. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 2 p.m.
 
Marist is 10-18 so far this season. The team is 3-5 on the road this year, while the Red Foxes are 7-13 at neutral sites.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Marist went 2-3 last weekend at the RDU/RTP Challenge in Raleigh, North Carolina.  The Red Foxes opened the tournament with two games on Friday. In game one, Marist was defeated by Kennesaw State 9-6, but defeated host NC State 2-1 later in the day. The team played a single game against Niagara on Saturday and defeated the Purple Eagles 5-3. The team dropped its final two games of the tournament on Sunday, losing 8-0 to Kennesaw State in the morning, and then losing 9-1 to Niagara in the afternoon.
 
SCOUTING HOLY CROSS
The Crusaders are 7-14 so far this season. Last time out, Holy Cross traveled to Easton, PA for a three-game series against Lafayette. The Crusaders won the series, taking two out of three games. They played a doubleheader on Sunday, March 25, and lost game one 13-4. However, the team bounced back with an 8-0 victory in game two of the doubleheader, and went on to win 12-3 on Monday, March 26 in the series finale. Overall, the team is hitting .252/.319/.330 with an ERA of 4.25. Alexandra Held and Katy Watson both have 3.87 ERAs leading the team and have combined for 110.1 inning pitched and 79 strikeouts. Jackie Brewster has a team-best .375 batting average and leads the team in hits (24), runs (12), doubles (6), and total bases (32).
 
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE
Marist has been very comfortable playing at Gartland Field over the past two seasons. Over the past two years, the Red Foxes have a combined 29-8 record when playing on their own field. Additionally, Marist hosted the MAAC Championships at Gartland Field back in 2016, sweeping all three games they played, only adding to their impressive home accomplishments. Dating back to last season, the team has won five of its last six games at Gartland Field and looks to improve on that record in Thursday's doubleheader.
 
NEXT UP
The Red foxes will remain home and welcome Army West Point to Gartland Field for a doubleheader on Wednesday, April 4. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 2 p.m.