Marywood Softball April recap

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Photo credit/ Jason Ardan

Junior pitcher Mara Hamm kicks and fires for the Pacers.

The Pacers opened their season 12-6 in March. As their schedule raged on, the most important part of their season got into full swing with conference play.

The Pacers opened the month on the road versus Cabrini University. Game One couldn’t have gone any worse, being mercy-ruled 10-0. Luckily for the Pacers, the bats came alive in game two, splitting the series with a 9-2 victory. Seniors Ashdon Clark and Samantha Baltrusaitis and sophomore Emma McNally all launched home runs in the effort.

Following a short break for the Easter holiday, the Pacers hosted Centenary University. Freshman pitcher Marissa Gregory made history by throwing the second perfect game in Pacers’ annals. Shortly after, junior pitcher Mara Hamm flirted with a no-hitter of her own, with a only a fifth inning single keeping her out of the team’s history books The Pacers completed the sweep with an 11-0 mercy rule victory.

Looking to build off the conference sweep, the Pacers hosted Neumann University. Gregory was masterful in her outing, throwing a two-hit complete hit shutout, leading the Pacers to a 7-0 victory. Neumann’s offense struck early in their second matchup, as the Pacers’ bats fell stagnant in a 3-1 loss.

Taking a break from conference play, Marywood headed to Horseheads, N.Y. for its matchup with Elmira College. A blowup fourth inning costs the Pacers game one, losing 7-5. The Pacers’ bats started game two rolling with consecutive four-run innings. However, a five-run fourth and a seven-run seventh cost the Pacers the series split, 15-14. Baltrusaitis had a perfect day at the dish, going 6-6 with three doubles, a triple, a pair of walks and scoring five times.

Returning to conference play, the Pacers looked to regain momentum as they traveled to Gwynedd Mercy University. The bats were left in Horseheads, as the Pacers were blanked in game one 6-0. Fortunately, the sticks returned for game two as the Pacers had an offensive outburst, taking home a mercy rule victory, 9-1. Clark and Baltrusaitis powered the Pacers offense, with Clark collecting a pair of doubles while Baltrusaitis notched a double and a home run.

Marywood returned home to host local foe Wilkes University. Game one was a pitcher’s duel, with both offenses being limited to a single run each through five innings. Wilkes struck in the top of the sixth, before Marywood struck once in the sixth, before McNally drew a walk-off walk in the seventh, clinching the 3-2 victory. Wilkes dominated the second game, scoring 10 runs in the first inning, splitting the series with Pacers, 14-4.

Following the series with Wilkes, the Pacers were scheduled to play in their final Atlantic East series, hosting Immaculata. The combination of Gregory’s dominance on the bump and Clark and freshman Tori Para crushing long balls gave the Pacers a 3-1 victory. Clark and Para dominated the offense in game two, combining to go 4-6, with three doubles and six RBIs, as the Pacers earned the series sweep, 8-0.

In its final series of the month, Marywood welcomed the Cedar Crest College Falcons. The Pacers had a hit parade in the first inning, scoring seven runs en route to a dominating 10-2 mercy rule victory. The Pacers’ offensive onslaught continued in the next contest, as they collected six extra base hits and tallied nine runs between the first two innings. The Falcons kept this game closer, but Marywood held onto the victory, 10-7.

The month of April was friendly to the Pacers, as they finished the month 10-6, sitting 22-12 on the season with an 8-4 record in the Atlantic East, as they hold third place in conference, behind Cabrini University Marymount University.

Hamm ended the month leading the Pacers in average (.400). Clark led the Pacers in nearly every offensive category, such as hits (35), doubles (11), home runs (6) and RBIs (32). Gregory leads the Pacers in the major pitching categories, sitting with a 12-1 record, 2.05 ERA and 77 strikeouts.

Stats are from MarywoodPacers.com as of May 2.

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