CONWAY, South Carolina – The Marist University softball team split its two games on Saturday at the Battle at the Beach Tournament.
In game one, Marist came back from three deficits in a 13-9 win over Towson in eight innings, which extended the Red Foxes' winning streak to six. In Marist's second game of the day, the Red Foxes fell to host Coastal Carolina by a score of 9-1 in six innings.
The Red Foxes now stand at 7-2 this season.
- Marist struck first on a two-run homer by Maddie Pleasants in the top of the first.
- Towson took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the first on Kristin Toland's three-run homer, but the Red Foxes tied it on Ronni Howard's RBI single in the top of the third, which brought home Sienna Kunze.
- Towson scored four times in the bottom of the third to take a 7-3 lead.
- Marist then tied the game in the top of the fourth. Pleasants' single brought home Peyton Pusey, and Isabella Manory's three-run homer tied the game at seven apiece.
- Manory's RBI single scored Miah McDonald in the top of the sixth inning to put Marist up 8-7, but Briyana Wright's two-run homer put Towson back in front 9-8 going to the seventh.
- Marist rallied to tie it in the top of the seventh. Howard reached on a one-out single, and she advanced to third on Kaitlyn Husic's double. Howard then scored the tying run on Maddie Gore's sacrifice fly.
- Marist then broke it open with four runs in the top of the eighth. Pusey scored on a wild pitch. Manory's infield single brought home McDonald, who reached on a single. Kunze then tripled to bring in Manory, and she scored on a groundout by Samantha Rogers.
- Marist finished with 17 hits, a season high.
- Manory went 4-for-5 with five RBIs and two runs scored.
- McDonald and Howard both went 3-for-5. McDonald had four runs scored, two doubles, and a stolen base.
- Pleasants went 2-for-4 with three RBIs, two runs scored, and a walk.
- Pusey was 2-for-5 with two runs scored.
- Kiley Myers (4-0) pitched the final three innings to earn the victory, giving Myers four wins and a save in five appearances this season. Emma Bayor struck out three in two hitless innings preceding Myers.
- Coastal Carolina scored twice in third and once in the fourth to grab a 3-0 lead.
- Sienna Kunze led off the top of fifth with a double, and later scored on a throwing error to cut Marist's deficit to 3-1.
- Delaney Keith and Georgia Hood hit back-to-back solo homers in the bottom of the fifth to extend the Chanticleers' lead to 5-1.
- Coastal Carolina prevailed by the mercy rule with four runs in the bottom of the sixth.
- Kunze finished with two of Marist's three hits, going 2-for-3 with a double and the Red Foxes' lone run.
- Marist's final game at the Battle at the Beach on Sunday morning against Kent State was canceled due to weather.
- The Red Foxes will return to action next weekend at the Stetson Invitational, with five games from Friday through Sunday.
