Marist Red Foxes Softball Splits at Manhattan

RIVERDALE – The Marist softball team split a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference doubleheader against Manhattan at Gaelic Park on Sunday. Manhattan won game one, 8-6, but the Red Foxes bounced back for a 5-3 triumph in eight innings in the second game.

Here is a closer look at each game:

Game One – Manhattan 8, Marist 6

Marist struck first in the top of the second. Junior Gabrielle Kelliher led off with a single, and scored from second on a two-out error when a line drive off the bat of sophomore Madison Lee was dropped.

In the bottom of the second, Manhattan answered with three runs, all of which were unearned. A sacrifice fly by Stephanie Reinhardt tied the game, and Victoria Ross followed with a two-run single.

Marist rebounded with a four-run fourth. Sophomore Brandi Coon belted a two-run triple to center, which tied the score. Coon then scored the go-ahead run on a wild throw following a bunt single by junior Kourtney Paul. The inning’s final run came when Paul came home on the front end of a double steal. However, the Jaspers answered with three runs in their half of the inning. A throwing error on a bunt caused two runs to score, and a two-out RBI double by Lauren Pitney gave Manhattan a 6-5 lead.

Marist tied the game in fifth when Coon’s two-out RBI single scored junior Miranda Perez. However, Manhattan had the last word when two runs scored on a play with two errors in the bottom of the sixth.

Coon finished 2-for-2 with three RBIs and a run scored. Kelliher went 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Sophomore Megan Beiermeister (8-4) took the loss in relief. Both Beiermeister and red-shirt senior starter Jessica Van Alphen struck out four in three innings. Kayla McDermott (3-2) pitched three scoreless innings to earn the victory for Manhattan.

Game Two – Marist 5, Manhattan 3 (8 innings)

Manhattan scored the game’s first run on a bases-loaded walk by Ross in the bottom of the second. The Red Foxes didn’t have a hit in the first three innings, but took a 2-1 lead in the fourth on an RBI double by Coon and RBI single by junior Brittany Colombo. However, the Jaspers tied the game in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI ground-rule double by Shannon Puthe.

Pitney led off the bottom of the fifth with a homer, which gave Manhattan back the lead at 3-2. The Red Foxes then rallied in the sixth with three straight infield singles with two outs, and senior Rebecca Freeman drew a four-pitch bases-loaded walk to tie the game.

Manhattan starter Nicole Williams then re-entered to face Kelliher, who hit a hard ground ball down the third-base line that was fielded on a diving stop by Ross, who touched third base for the force to end the inning.

The score remained tied at three until the eighth. With one out, Korak’s homer over the wall in left-center gave Marist the final runs of the game. In the bottom half of the inning, Coon caught a line drive and doubled Briana Matazinsky off second for an unassisted double play.

The Red Foxes totaled 11 hits in game two, with sophomore Casey Page, Korak, Freeman, and Coon leading the way with two apiece. Jayne Oberdorf (4-3) pitched a complete game for the victory and struck out five. Williams (7-6), who struck out eight in 5.1 innings, too the loss for Manhattan.

Marist is now 26-17 overall and 6-6 in the MAAC.

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