POUGHKEEPSIE, New York - The Marist softball team was swept by the Rider Broncs in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference doubleheader at Gartland Field on Sunday afternoon.
The Red Foxes jumped out to a 2-0 lead early in game one, but the Broncs battled back late to narrowly defeat Marist 3-2. In game two, the Red Foxes led by three runs at the end of the fifth, but a five-run sixth inning would propel the Broncs to a 5-3 victory. Marist dropped to 21-27 on the season and 9-9 in conference play.
- Caroline Baratta put the Red Foxes on the board first with a solo home run to right field to put Marist up 1-0 in the first inning.
- Rider's Laneya Wright popped a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Kaitlin Vazquez from third base to tie the game 1-1 in the third inning.
- With runners on first and second with two outs in the top of the fifth inning, Calista Phippen struck out Rider's Amanda Cooper to end the inning and keep the game tied.
- Maddie Pleasants battled through a nine-pitch at-bat that ended with a leadoff solo home run belted deep into left field to give the Red Foxes a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning.
- Rider's Kaitlin Vazquez singled via a bunt down the first baseline to lead off the top of the seventh inning. Elena Gonzalez's sacrifice bunt advanced Vazquez to second base. Jessie Niegocki then slammed a ball into right-center field to score Vazquez and tie the game 2-2. With two outs and two on base, Laneya Wright lined a ball down the left-field line to score Niegocki and give the Broncs a 3-2 lead late in the game.
- The Red Foxes could not get anything going in the bottom of the seventh inning and ultimately fell 3-2 in game one.
- The Red Foxes struck first in game two as Shea Walsh's leadoff solo home run to center field gave them a 1-0 in the third inning.
- With one out and Rider's Brooklyn Trujillo-Quintana on third, Brianna Koonce grounded out to Caroline Baratta shortstop. Trujillo-Quintana attempted to advance home but Maddie Gore's throw to Meghan Davis at the plate was on time, and the 6-3-2 double play got the Red Foxes out of the inning unscathed.
- Sam Freeland singled down the third-base line to lead off the bottom of the fifth inning and advanced to second off Baratta's groundout. Miah McDonald then drove a ball through the gap to center field to single and later stole second to put runners on second and third with one out. Maddie Pleasants later fouled out to right, scoring Freeland from third off the sacrifice to extend by two runs. Alyssa Grupp reached first on a throwing error, which scored McDonald from third to give Marist a 3-0 at the end of the inning.
- Rider put runners on second and third with two outs in the top of the sixth inning. Laneya Wright lined a ball down the right field line two score two runs and cut the Marist lead to one run. Chaela Crowder then singled into right field, scoring Wright to tie the game 3-3. Lani Moreno slammed a double into left-center field to score two more runs to give Rider a 5-3 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth.
- The Red Foxes stayed quiet throughout the sixth and seventh innings and dropped the second game of the doubleheader 5-3.
- Caroline Baratta and Maddie Pleasants each recorded a solo home run with in game one.
- Alyssa Grupp and Baratta each successfully stole one base in game one.
- Calista Phippen struck out three batters in game one and pitched a complete game
- Rider's Jessie Niegocki had 10 strikeouts against the Red Foxes in game one.
- Shea Walsh went 2-for-3 with a home run and an RBI in game two.
- Miah McDonald went 2-for-4 with a stolen base in game two.
- The Red Foxes will return to Gartland Field on Wednesday to take on Lafayette in a late-season non-conference matchup.
- Prior to the game, a Senior Day ceremony will be held.
