POUGHKEEPSIE, New York –
Haley Ahr broke the Marist University softball program record for career runs batted in as the Red Foxes' advanced to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference winners' bracket final with an 8-3 win over Sacred Heart.
Ahr's sacrifice fly in the first inning gave her the program record of 201, and she added two more on a two-run single in the sixth to give her 203.
- Marist opened the scoring the bottom of the first. Peyton Pusey led off with an infield single, and she scored on Ahr's sacrifice fly.
- Sacred Heart scored three in the top of the second, as the Pioneers sent nine hitters to the plate, with six straight reaching safely.
- Marist took the lead for good with a five-run third.
- Anna Sidllowski led off the inning with a home run.
- Sienna Kunze's RBI single brought home Pusey to tie the game.
- Livia Wiltsie double, plus an error, gave Marist a 5-3 lead.
- Wiltsie then scored on a wild pitch.
- Ahr's two-run single in the sixth scored Annabelle Geiser and Pusey to close out the scoring.
- Ahr finished 2-for-2 with three RBIs, a run scored, a sacrifice fly, and a walk.
- Wiltsie and Geiser each had two hits.
- Pusey was 1-for-3 with a walk and three runs scored.
- Ava Metzger (11-3) earned the win with 5.2 innings of scoreless relief. She struck out four while allowing just three hits and one walk.
- Sacred Heart's top three hitters (Elle Leckrone, Cierra Bender, and Ella Stoops) were all 2-for-4 with an RBI.
- Marist has now won 15 straight.
- Metzger has won Marist's last three games, and she has won her last five decisions.
- Ahr has 22 RBIs in Marist's winning streak.
- Sidlowski's homer was the second in her career.
- Marist is 35-19.
- Sacred Heart is 23-30.
- Marist faces third-seeded Iona in the winners' bracket final on Friday.
- First pitch is set for 11:15 a.m.