POUGHKEEPSIE, New York - The Marist softball team split a non-conference doubleheader with the Lafayette Leopards on Wednesday afternoon at Gartland Field on Senior Day.
 
The Leopards jumped out to a 1-0 lead early in the first inning and never looked back, scoring six runs in the third inning to ultimately win game one 9-1. Caroline Baratta scored the lone run for the Red Foxes in game one, belting a solo home run that broke the Marist all-time career hits record of 236 hits. In game two, the Red Foxes exploded for an 11-run first inning, led by three-run home runs from Maddie Pleasants and Miah McDonald. Lafayette came back to tie the game and sent the game to extra innings, where Alyssa Yarem slammed a two-run home run to give Marist a 15-13 walk-off victory.
 
The Red Foxes honored Hailee Jantorno, Morgan Gianelle, Alyssa Yarem, Kaley Coltrain, and Caroline Baratta before the first pitch of the game.
 

Game One

• Lafayette's Natasha Miner belted a lead off solo home run on the second pitch of the game to give the Leopards a 1-0 lead from the jump.
• Three straight singles loaded the bases for the Leopards to start the top of the third inning. Kaya Ciccone-Cozart walked to bring in one run. Kinzi Van Wyk grounded into a 5-2-3 double play to save a run and put two outs in the inning.
• With two on and two out in the third inning, Lafayette's Kaili Reitano doubled into left field, to score both runners, extending the Leopard lead to 4-0. Paige Sandidge snuck a ground ball though the gap into right field to score another runner. Kristen Brown batted in two more runs after she slammed a ball off the left field wall. Lafayette's six-run third inning was capped off by Brown scoring off an error.
• In the bottom of the third on a 1-0 count, Caroline Baratta belted a solo home run into deep right-center field to cut into the Leopards' lead. This hit was Baratta's 237th career hit, breaking Melissa Giordano and Maureen Duddy's record of 236 career hits.
• Calista Phippen got the Red Foxes out of a two-out, bases loaded jam in the fourth inning, striking out Paige Sandidge to end the inning.
• With one runner on base and one out in the fifth inning, Lafayette's Miner  doubled into the gap in right-center field to drive in one run. Harlie Bickett then reached base via hit-by-pitch. Grace Harvey's sarcifice fly drove in Miner to extend Lafayette's lead to eight runs. Ciccone-Cozart then doubled in the gap in left field, sending Bickett home. The Red Foxes made the relay in time as Bickett was thrown out at home by Baratta to end the inning.
• The Red Foxes put two runners on base with two outs in the fifth inning, but could not score and ultimately fell 9-1 in game one.

 

Game Two

• Alyssa Grupp started the game off with a double into right-center field and later advanced to third off a wild pitch with one out in the first inning. Shea Walsh then singled in center field to score Grupp and put the Red Foxes up 1-0 early. After a Miah McDonald single, Maddie Pleasants slammed a three-run home run into deep center field to extend the lead to 4-0.
• Later in the first inning, Hannah Brock was hit by a pitch, stole second, and then advanced to third off a passed ball to put her in scoring position. Kaitlin Husic then grounded out to second, scoring Brock to put the Red Foxes up by five runs. After a Maddie Gore single and Lauren Morrell walk, Ronni Howard singled into left field. A fielding error on the play by Jasmine Nguyen then scored Gore from third to make it 6-0 in favor of the Red Foxes.
• After a pitching change with two outs in the first inning, Alyssa Grupp singled into the gap in left-center field to score Morrell. Shea Walsh then singled up the middle of the field into center field to score Howard. The first inning was capped off by a three-run homerun by Miah McDonald into deep left field, extending the Red Fox lead to 11-0.
• The Leopards slowly began to claw back in the top of the second inning, loading the bases with no outs in the inning. Bella Lowdermilk singled up the middle of the field to score a runner and cut the Red Fox lead to ten runs. Jasmine Nguyen then walked in another run. Natasha Miller then singled down the line in left field to score Sandidge. After Harlie Bickett struck out, Grace Harvey reached first on a fielder's choice as Lowdermilk was thrown out at home to save the run and get two outs in the inning. Kaya Ciccone-Cozart then walked to score Nguyen before the inning ended.
• Lafayette continued their comeback in the third inning, loading the bases with one out in the inning. Miner walked to score a run and cut Marist's lead down to 11-5. Bickett then singled into shallow center field to score Lowdermilk. The next at-bat, Harvey doubled into the gap in right-center field to drive in two more runs. Three straight RBI singles from Ciccone-Cozart, Van Myck, and Reitano tied the game at 11-11.
• Calista Phippen replaced Maddie Pleasants on the mound with one out in the third inning and caused Sandidge to ground into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.
• Lauren Morrell ended the top of the fourth inning with an amazing diving catch in foul territory to get the out. After a Miah McDonald leadoff single start the bottom of the fourth inning, Calista Phippen took her first career at-bat where she placed a very successful sacrifice bunt that sent McDonald all the way to third.
• With two outs in the eighth inning, Alyssa Grupp singled up the middle into center field. Shea Walsh followed up with single into left field, then Miah McDonald walked to load the bases. The Red Foxes could not capitalize, as Phippen struck out to end the inning.
• The international tie-breaker rule took over in the 10th inning, placing a runner at second base every inning. Lafayette's Miner successfully stole third base to begin the inning, then scored and broke the tie off a sacrifice fly from put the Leopards up 12-11.
• After Caroline Baratta's groundout advanced Morrell to third base in the bottom of the tenth, Grupp lined a ball into center field to double and score Morrell to tie the game.
• In the top of the eleventh inning, Kaili Reitano doubled to right field to put runners on first and third with one out. The Leopards then retook the lead as a wild pitch scored Ciccone-Cozart from third.
• Sam Freeland pinch hit in the bottom of the eleventh inning and slammed an RBI double into the gap in right-center field to tie the game. Alyssa Yarem stepped in to pinch hit with one runner on base and no outs. Yarem belted a two-run home run into right-center field to walk it off for the Red Foxes, winning game two 15-13 in 11 innings.

 

Stats

• Caroline Baratta went 1-for-2 with a home run and a walk in game one.
• Alyssa Yarem went 1-for-2 with a double in game one. Her lone at bat in game two was the walk-of home run.
• Miah McDonald, Alyssa Grupp, and Hailee Jantorno each recorded a hit in game one.
• The Red Foxes recorded 19 total hits in game two.
• Shea Walsh went 5-for-6 with a double, two RBIs, and a stolen base in game two.
• Miah McDonald went 4-for-5 with a home run, three RBIs, and a stolen base in game two.
• Alyssa Grupp went 4-for-6 with a double and two RBIs in game two.
• Maddie Pleasants went 1-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs in game two.

 

Up Next

• The Red Foxes will wrap up their regular season on Saturday in Jersey City, New Jersey to take on the Saint Peter's Peacocks in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference doubleheader.
• The first pitch will be at noon.