RIVERDALE, New York – The Marist softball team swept a doubleheader at Manhattan on Wednesday.
The Red Foxes prevailed by scores of 5-3 and 10-3, and extended their winning streak to four. Marist is now 20-24 overall and 8-6 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. The sweep lifted the Red Foxes into a third-place tie in the MAAC.
Meghan Davis homered in each game.
Calista Phippen was the winning pitcher in both games, and threw 11 scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts between game one and game two.
- Shea Walsh homered to right field on the second pitch of the game to give Marist a 1-0 advantage.
- A two-run homer by Megan Hedlund gave the Jaspers a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the first.
- Alyssa Grupp's first collegiate home run, a line drive over the wall in center field, tied the score at two in the top of the second.
- After Manhattan went up 3-2 in the bottom of the second, Marist took the lead for good with a two-run third. Caroline Baratta drove in Walsh with a single grounded through the middle, and Maddie Pleasants' sacrifice fly brought home Sam Freeland.
- Davis' towering home run to left-center gave Marist a 5-3 lead in the fourth and closed out the scoring.
- Phippen earned the win with five scoreless innings of relief and six strikeouts. She allowed just three hits and did not walk anyone.
- Walsh finished 1-for-2 with two walks and two runs scored.
- Walsh led off game two with a ground-rule double, and scored on a ground-rule double by Baratta.
- The Red Foxes added three runs in the third. Hailee Jantorno's bunt single scored Grupp. A sacrifice fly by Walsh brought in Davis. Then Jantorno scored on an error.
- Davis' second home run of the day, a two-run shot to left-center, extended Marist's lead to 6-0 in the fifth.
- In the top of the seventh, pinch-hitter Morgan Gianelle hit a grand slam on the first pitch of her at bat, which gave Marist a 10-0 advantage.
- Manhattan scored all three of its runs in the bottom of the seventh.
- Davis went 2-for-3 with three runs scored, two RBIs and a walk. Grupp was 3-for-4 with two runs scored.
- Phippen pitched six shutout innings, with four strikeouts and six hits allowed.
- Marist travels to Quinnipiac for a Saturday doubleheader.
- First pitch of game one is set for noon.
