WORCESTER, Massachusetts – The Marist softball team (13-14) swept a non-conference doubleheader at Holy Cross (3-19) on Wednesday. The Red Foxes won both games by the score of 5-1.
Outstanding pitching led the way for the Red Foxes, as freshman
Calista Phippen and senior
Kallen Leeseberg each tossed a one-hitter. Offensively, sophomore shortstop
Caroline Baratta led the way with five hits on the day, including two triples and a double.
- Marist opened the scoring with a two-run top of the first. Baratta led off with a double, and scored three batters later on an RBI single by senior Brandi Coon.
- The Red Foxes scored their final three runs in the second, which included an RBI triple by Baratta.
- After allowing a single to Taylor Wahler with two outs in the first, Phippen retired 17 straight Holy Cross batters.
- The Crusaders' lone run came in the seventh on an RBI groundout by Erin Bengston, which scored Wahler, who had reached on an error.
- Phippen (8-1) finished with nine strikeouts and zero walks in a one-hitter.
- Coon finished 3-for-4 with an RBI. Baratta was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI.
- Kelly Nelson struck out eight in six scoreless innings of relief for Holy Cross.
- Leeseberg took a perfect game into the seventh inning. Leeseberg retired the first 18 Crusaders she faced until Jackie Brewster led off the bottom of the seventh with a triple. It was the lone baserunner allowed by Leeseberg, who finished with 10 strikeouts.
- The game was scoreless until Marist scored twice in the top of the fifth. Sophomore Hunter Hand singled with one out, and scored on an RBI triple by Baratta, who later stole home.
- Marist added three runs in the sixth. Sophomore Olivia Knopf delivered a pinch-hit RBI double, and sophomore Hunter Hand had an RBI single.
- The lone run for Holy Cross came in the seventh. Following her triple, Brewster scored on a groundout by Bailey Chavez.
- Hand finished 3-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI. Baratta went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
- Marist's next games will be the Red Foxes' first in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play, and first at Gartland Field.
- The Red Foxes will host Fairfield on Saturday, March 30 and Iona on Sunday, March 31. There will be doubleheaders on both days, with first pitch of game one scheduled for noon on Saturday and Sunday.
