FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- The Fairfield University softball team dropped a doubleheader to Marist College in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play, falling in the first game by a 16-4 count and in the second game by a 6-2 score.
Courtney Hankins picked up two hits which included a two-run homer in the doubleheader, while
Alisha Marshall also collected a pair of hits with two RBI.
Marist grabbed the lead with a four-run fourth inning with Caroline Baratta serving the critical hit of the inning, a two-run triple that pushed the lead to 3-0. The Red Foxes scored the final run of the inning off a passed ball as Baratta came home on the errant pitch. Fairfield rallied to tie the game with its own four-run third inning as the Stags put together four hits in the frame.
Rachel Sieber launched a run-scoring double to the left field fence to close the gap to 4-1.
Sam Merino reached on an infield hit and took second base on a ground out, putting a pair of runners in scoring position. Marshall cashed in on the opportunity with a single over the outstretched glove of the shortstop, chasing home two runners. Marshall tied the game when she came home after Hankins ran a ball up the middle for a single.
The Red Foxes regained the lead with six runs in the top of the fourth inning, highlighted by Claire Oberdorf's grand slam which made the score 8-4. Ali Milam followed with a solo homer to give the visitors back-to-back homers, pushing the lead to 11-4. One more run came home later in the inning on a base hit through the left side of the infield. Marist tacked on five more runs in the top of the seventh inning with another home run being a key to the inning. Brittany Colombo ripped a two-run homer that eventually led to the team's 16-4 win.
In the second game, Marist scored the first four runs of the game with a pair of runs in the first and third innings. Trailing 4-0, Fairfield scored its only two runs of the game in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Amanda Ulzheimer broke up a perfect game with an infield single, breaking up Kallen Leesberg run of retiring the first 10 batters she faced in the game. Hankins came to bat after Ulzheimer and sent her around the bases with a home run over the center field fence, cutting the deficit in half at 4-2. Marist added two more runs in its next at-bat to regain its four-run edge at 6-2, and that is where the score would remain for the rest of the game.
Fairfield finishes up its MAAC weekend when it hosts Iona College on Saturday afternoon, a doubleheader that begins at 12 pm.
