Marist and Monmouth to Play for 2019 MAAC Softball Championship

5/10/2019 7:23:25 PM

No. 2 Monmouth University – 5 | No. 1 Marist College – 4
2019 MAAC Softball Championship - Day Three
Softball Park at Gartland Athletic Field | Poughkeepsie, NY

Monmouth (35-16) defeated Marist (34-21) 5-4 in a back-and-forth game. The game started as a pitchers’ duel, with MAAC Pitcher of the Year and All-MAAC First Team Pitcher Alyssa Irons going up against fellow All-MAAC First Team Pitcher Calista Phippen. Both pitchers limited the scoring to one run a piece through five innings before the bats came alive in the sixth. The Hawks were able to out-slug the Red Foxes over the final two innings to advance to tomorrow’s MAAC Championship Game at 11:00 a.m. as the team from the winner’s bracket. Marist would advance to play Niagara in the elimination bracket later in the day.

Monmouth Notes

Sam Tomasetti launched a solo shot to right in the third inning to tie the game
Five pitches was all it took for Irons to retire the side in the fifth inning
Tomasetti recorded her second home run of the game in the sixth, a no-doubter to deep center to give the Hawks a 2-1 advantage
One batter after Tomasetti, Amber Wozniak sent one over the left field fence to increase the lead to 3-1
Deangie Jimenez proved to be the hero for the Hawks, sending one deep in the top of the seventh to score two runs and give Monmouth a 5-4 advantage
Irons went the entire game in the circle to earn the win, surrendering four runs on seven hits and striking out two
Every Monmouth run came via the long ball

Marist Notes

Claire Oberdorf scored the first run of the game for Marist after reaching on a leadoff double and scoring off a Gianelle single up the middle
With runners on the corners and one out, Casey Page was able to score on a Claire Oberdorf grounder to second
Kaley Coltrain hit a home run that just squeaked over the left-center field fence to give Marist a 4-3 lead entering the final frame
Gianelle recorded the first and only triple of the MAAC Championship thus far in the sixth
Marist was unable to tie the game in the seventh after getting the leadoff batter to second base on a throwing error
Phippen went 6.0 innings in the circle, allowing five runs on six hits while striking out six

No. 5 Niagara University – 7 | No. 4 Iona College – 2
2019 MAAC Softball Championship - Day Three
Softball Park at Gartland Athletic Field | Poughkeepsie, NY

Niagara (18-31) eliminated Iona (19-27) from the 2019 MAAC Softball Championship with a 7-2 victory. The Purple Eagles were able to exact revenge on the Gaels, who put Niagara in the elimination bracket on Wednesday. With the win, the Purple Eagles eliminated their third team of the 2019 MAAC Softball Championship. Niagara would move on to play top seeded Marist in the very next game of the day.

Niagara Notes

Niagara’s offense came to life in the second with a leadoff home run to right from Jerri Ann Orfano
Kendall Watkins drew a walk after the Orfano home run and would eventually score on a Rachel Funk double
Funk came around to score on a Jenna Patterson double, and Patterson would score on a Kelsey Harrigan single to give Niagara its fourth run of the inning
Maria Gabriele knocked Niagara’s second-straight leadoff home run in the third to increase the lead to 5-0
Orfano hit her second home run of the game in the fourth, a two-run shot, to bump Niagara’s lead to 7-0

Iona Notes

Ciarra Diguilio scored the first run for the Gaels, advancing to third on a single from Hailey Thompson and scoring on a throwing error
The Gaels tacked on a run in the fifth on an error from the Niagara first baseman, scoring Jasmine Temple
The 1-7 hitters in the Iona lineup all recorded a hit
Kara Zazzaro, who took over for starter Marnie Skinner in the second, went 5.1 innings allowing three runs on six hits with five strikeouts
The Gaels turned two double plays in the game, the only team to do so in this year’s championship

No. 1 Marist College – 5 | No. 5 Niagara University - 4
2019 MAAC Softball Championship - Day Three
Softball Park at Gartland Athletic Field | Poughkeepsie, NY

Top seed Marist (35-21) rebounded from a loss earlier in the day to defeat Niagara (18-32) 5-4. The Red Foxes were able to hold onto a five-run lead that was built through the first three innings to advance to tomorrow’s championship game. As the team from the elimination bracket, Marist will have to defeat Monmouth twice to claim the 2019 MAAC Softball Championship. Tomorrow’s championship game begins at 11:00 a.m.

Marist Notes

Brandi Coon laid down a safety squeeze bunt in the first to score Caroline Baratta for the first run of the game
Ali Milam reached on a single and would later score on a throwing error from the Niagara catcher
Claire Oberdorf would represent the third run of the first inning for the Red Foxes, scoring off a Kaley Coltrain single
Morgan Gianelle tacked on two runs in the third with a two RBI double, knocking Niagara’s Szilagyi from the game
Megan Beiermeister earned the win, going 6.0 innings while only giving up two earned runs on eight hits with three strikeouts
The game ended with a diving catch from right fielder Ali Milam, robbing a potential game tying hit

Niagara Notes

Kendall Watkins crossed the plate for the Purple Eagles in the fourth inning off a Rachel Funk single
Niagara started the sixth inning with two consecutive hits, a single from Jerri Ann Orfano and a double from Watkins
Jenna Patterson drove in both Orfano and Watkins on a single to left to cut the deficit to 5-3
Maggie Vesneske scored from second in the seventh on a throwing error to bring the Purple Eagles within a single run

The 2019 MAAC Softball Championship takes place May 8-11 and is hosted by top seeded Marist. For more information on the 2019 Softball Championship, visit maacsports.com/softball. Championship tickets can be purchased at maacsports.com/tickets and will also be sold on-site during the championship.

About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 38^th year of competition during the 2018-19 academic year. Current Conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.