TUCSON, Arizona – The Marist softball team split its opening two games of the Bear Down Fiesta tournament, hosted by the University of Arizona, as its 11-game Spring Break trip began on Friday.
Â
The Red Foxes shut out Yale, 9-0, in their first game of the day. In its second contest, Marist was defeated 18-3 by UNLV in five innings.
Â
Marist is now 8-9 on the season.
Â
- Shea Walsh led off the game with a single, and scored two batters later on a single by Caroline Baratta. Miah McDonald followed with a single, and then stole second. Meghan Davis' three-run homer then gave Marist a four-run top of the first.
- Sam Freeland led off the third with an infield single, and McDonald homered two batters later, which gave the Red Foxes a 6-0 lead.
- Alyssa Yarem's leadoff homer in the sixth extended Marist's lead to 7-0.
- Hailee Jantorno and Lauren Morrell each drew bases-loaded walks in the seventh to push across the Red Foxes' last two runs.
- Kiley Myers (4-0) pitched a four-hitter. The reigning Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week struck out five and walked just one.
- Davis finished 3-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs scored. McDonald was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Walsh and Freeland had two hits apiece as the Red Foxes finished with 12.
- Katie Donahey had two hits for Yale.
Â
- Marist opened the game with a three-run first. Freeland and Baratta both reached on one-out infield singles, and then took third and second on a double steal. McDonald followed with a two-run single. After McDonald stole second, she came home on Alyssa Grupp's RBI double.
- UNLV responded with a 10-run bottom of the first. Nine runs were unearned, as they came following an error with two outs.
- UNLV then added eight runs in the second to close out the scoring.
- Freeland led Marist with two hits.
- UNLV finished with 14 hits, including four home runs. Samantha Diaz, Mia Trejo, and Ariana Martinez all homered and drove in four. Martinez delivered a pinch-hit grand slam in the second.
Â
- Marist returns to action with two contests on Saturday against Yale (3:15 p.m.) and nationally-ranked Arizona (8 p.m.).
- A video stream of the contest against Yale will be available at FloSports for a subscription fee. The game against Arizona can be seen on the Pac-12 Network.