JERSEY CITY, N.J– The Saint Peter's softball team (3-10, 0-3 MAAC) will play five games across two series this week. The Peacocks begin by hosting the University of Maine for a doubleheader on Tuesday, March 17, before traveling to face MAAC leader Marist for a three-game series March 21-22.
Against the Bears, first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Jaroschak Field, with game two set for 3 p.m.
The Peacocks will then take on the Marist Red Foxes at the Softball Park at Gartland Athletic Field in Poughkeepsie, New York. Saturday's doubleheader begins at 12 p.m., followed by game two at 2 p.m. The series concludes Sunday at noon.
LAST TIME OUT
The Peacocks had a busy week, competing in seven games across three series and going 2-5. Against Rutgers, Saint Peter's turned in one of its strongest offensive performances of the season, combining for a season-high 19 hits and 11 RBIs across the doubleheader.
Kiana Kadena Matsuda and
Carlee Charles both went 3-for-4 in game one, while in game two,
Angela Tremarco led the offense, going 2-for-2 with an RBI.
Danni Forrester also launched her second home run of the season.
Against UMES, Saint Peter's swept the Hawks, 7-3 and 7-6.
Ava White (1-2) secured her first win of the season, striking out a season-high five batters.
Olivia Christopher and Kadena Matsuda paced the Peacocks, both going 2-for-4.
In game two,
Gabriella Rivera (1-2) earned her first collegiate win in relief, pitching 5.0 innings and striking out a season-high four batters. Offensively, Kadena Matsuda again paced the team, going 2-for-2 with a pair of RBIs.
At Penn, Saint Peter's was swept by a combined score of 23-4 across the three-game series. In game one, Christopher paced the offense, going 2-for-4 with a run scored—the only multi-hit performance of the weekend—while Tremarco finished 1-for-3 with an RBI.
In game two, four Peacocks finished 1-for-2 at the plate, with Kadena Matsuda adding a stolen base, Charles driving in a run with her second triple of the season,
Kayla Foy recording a double with a run scored, and Tremarco adding a double and an RBI.
In the final game of the weekend, Saint Peter's totaled four hits. Christopher and Charles each added a hit, Kadena Matsuda went 1-for-2 with a stolen base, and Tremarco collected her first collegiate triple.
ABOUT THE PEACOCKS
Saint Peter's recently snapped a seven-game skid, securing its first sweep of the season against UMES.
Kiana Kadena Matsuda has been a key piece of the Peacock offense, leading the team with a .395 batting average and a .939 OPS while riding an eight-game on-base streak.
Last week, Kadena Matsuda paced the team, going 10-for-21 with seven runs scored and five stolen bases. She currently ranks ninth in batting average (.395), 10th in OBP (.465), and seventh in stolen bases (6) in the MAAC.
In the circle,
Morgan Lipansky leads the team with a 6.76 ERA and a 1.83 WHIP. Through 19.2 innings pitched, Lipansky has totaled 20 strikeouts while holding batters to a .266 average.
ABOUT THE BEARS
The University of Maine (6-15) finished February with a 4-9 record and recently snapped a six-game skid. The Bears played in three tournaments to open the season, finishing the Heart of Georgia tournament 1-4, the Hatter Classic 0-5, and the Battle at the Bay 3-1.
UMaine opened March 0-5 after competing in the Orange and Black Classic, but bounced back with wins over Merrimack in a midweek doubleheader.
Outfielder Kiera Inman leads the Bears offensively, batting .318 with a 1.133 OPS. Through 21 games, she has recorded 14 hits, 12 runs scored, two doubles, two triples, three home runs, and six RBIs.
In the circle, Ava Zettlemoyer is 2-4 through 10 appearances and five starts with a 5.56 ERA and a 2.12 WHIP across 34.0 innings pitched while tallying 27 strikeouts.
Leading the Bears in her third season is head coach Kimberly Stiles.
ABOUT THE RED FOXES
Marist (11-12, 5-0 MAAC) closed February with a 6-12 record after competing in four tournaments. In the Charleston Southern Tournament, the Red Foxes went 3-2. They followed with a 2-2 performance at the East Texas A&M Tournament before going 0-4 at the USF Tournament and 1-4 at the Garnet & Black Invitational to close out the month.
The Red Foxes have played only MAAC games to start March and are currently riding a five-game winning streak. Marist swept Fairfield in a midweek doubleheader, holding the Stags scoreless, and then took all three games against Niagara by a combined score of 24-9.
Marist has four players batting over .300, with Haley Ahr leading the offense with a .392 batting average and a .966 OPS. Through 23 starts, Ahr has collected 33 hits, 22 runs, 18 RBIs, seven doubles, and one home run. She currently ranks seventh in batting average, first in runs scored, first in hits, second in RBIs, and second in doubles in the conference.
In the circle, the Red Foxes have two pitchers with ERAs in the 2.00 range. Ava Metzger is 4-1 with a 2.03 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP through 38.0 innings pitched while holding batters to a .216 average. Stella Blanchard is 5-3 through nine appearances with a 2.51 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. Through 47.0 innings pitched, Blanchard has struck out 40 batters.
Both pitchers rank among the top ten in the conference in ERA, opposing batting average, innings pitched, and strikeouts.
Entering his 18th season at the helm is head coach Joe Ausanio.
ALL TIME SERIES
This will be the first matchup between Saint Peter's and Maine.
Saint Peter's is 6-42 all-time against Marist. The Red Foxes have won the last 39 meetings dating back to 2005. The Peacocks' last win in the series came in 2005, a 6-5 victory.
AROUND THE MAAC
Marist currently sits in first place with a 5-0 conference record and enters the week riding a five-game winning streak. Mount St. Mary's is second at 2-0 in MAAC play. Quinnipiac and Sacred Heart both sit at 5-1, followed by Fairfield at 3-2 and Rider at 3-3 to round out the top six.
This weekend's MAAC series includes Niagara vs. Quinnipiac, Mount St. Mary's vs. Fairfield, Saint Peter's vs. Marist, Iona vs. Siena, Canisius vs. Merrimack, and Sacred Heart vs. Manhattan. Rider will have a bye week in conference play.
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