POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. -- The Fairfield University softball team started the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) portion of its schedule with a pair of losses at Marist College as the Red Foxes won the opener by a 5-1 score before overcoming a two-run deficit to come away with an 8-2 victory. The results brought the Stags' overall record to 12-12.
The home team was the first team to put a mark on the scoreboard when it posted a run in the bottom of the first inning despite only scratching out an infield hit. Caroline Baratta reached first base after a third strike hit the dirt and skipped to the back stop. She stole second base and took third base on a fly ball to the outfield. Brandi Coon completed the scoring chance when she beat out a single sliced to the hole between shortstop and third base.
Fairfield tied the game in the fourth inning with a two-out rally that started when
Mikayla Rubin drove the ball down the right field line to collect a double.
Lauryn Rhinehart battled through an 11-pitch at-bat that culminated with a single to center field, bringing home Rubin and tying the score at 1-1.
Marist broke the tie in the fifth inning when Coon drew a one-out walk and came home when Claire Obendorf followed with a two-run homer in the next at-bat. It was a formula that the Red Foxes would use later in the inning as Madison Lee worked out a walk before Morgan Gianelle's fly ball cleared the right-center field fence to double the deficit to four runs at 5-1. Fairfield worked a walk in both the sixth and seventh innings but could not string together any hits around the free passes which kept the game at its final score, 5-1.
The Stags took the lead in the second game when they scored a single run in both the second and fourth innings to secure a 2-0 advantage. The first run was the result of another two-out rally that began when
Cynthia Meringer pulled a single through the right side of the infield.
Drew Westford was the next hitter and promptly placed a ball into the left-center field gap that chased Meringer around the bases. In the fourth inning, Westford found the left-center field part of the ball park, but this time put enough energy on the ball to send it over the fence, improving the Fairfield lead to 2-0.
Marist found its way onto the scoreboard in the fifth inning when it put together three hits and took advantage of an error to send four runners across home plate, taking a 4-2 lead. One inning later, the Red Foxes used five hits which led to another four runs, giving the team an insurmountable 8-2 lead. Westford finished the game with three hits while
Alisha Marshall pitched in with two hits.
Fairfield will finish its MAAC opening weekend with a pair of games at Siena College on Sunday. First pitch is slated for 12 pm.
