Baseball
After a week of poor weather postponed a couple of its games, Marywood returned to action on Sunday, celebrating its seniors as the Pacers hosted a doubleheader against Saint Elizabeth University. Marywood scored twice in the first on balks, before plating another in the fourth on an error. A four run sixth inning put the nail in the coffin, as the Pacers’ pitching staff was lights out, led by senior righty Nick Notari, who continued his stellar start to his season, as the Pacers took game one 7-0. Following a break, the Pacers were back to work, with Max Slusser opening the scoring, with an RBI double, before coming around to score to give Marywood an early two-run lead. Though the bats would fall quiet the rest of the afternoon, the pitching staff again excelled, starting with sophomore Max Ryan being lights out for four frames, before the bullpen held the lead for closer AJ Jordan to remain perfect in save situations, sweeping the doubleheader, 2-1.
Marywood entered Tuesday on a five-game win streak, as Eastern University made the trip to Scranton. The bats came out scorching, as Marywood brought home five runs in the first two innings. Freshman starter Charlie Hamm was untouchable through four innings, before he ran into trouble in the fifth, as the Pacers’ lead was cut to just two. A two-run double, followed by a three-run home run flipped the game on its head, as Eastern took the lead, 8-5. Marywood was not down and out however, as a sacrifice fly from Adam Ginsberg cut the deficit down to two. Slusser was drilled on the next pitch, loading the bases for Tristan Gatchalain, who legged out a fielder’s choice, as Joel Ayers soared across the plate to even the score. Both teams failed to score in the eighth, before three straight Eagles’ hits provided the team with some edge in the ninth which snapped the Pacers’ streak, 9-8.
Making up for a postponed Atlantic East game against Neumann University, the Pacers fell behind early, allowing four runs in the first four innings. The offense was unable to get going offensively, until the seventh inning, when the Pacers batted around, taking a 6-4 lead. Neumann answered back, scoring two and tying the game at six, heading into the eighth inning. Neither team was able to scratch a run across in the eighth or ninth, so onto extras the two teams went. Following a stagnant tenth frame, Christian Michak singled, before Ayers ripped an RBI double, giving Marywood the lead. The Pacers added two more runs, which was more than enough for Danny Tiedemann to slam the door on an amazing performance, tossing 4.1 innings in relief, issuing two hits and striking out four, as Marywood finished the series sweep against the Knights, 9-6.
Softball
The Pacers returned to Atlantic East Conference play and traveled to Neumann University. The Pacers struck first, with Tori Para and Priscilla Grill both ripping RBI singles. Grill struck again in the fifth, giving Marywood a three-run lead and though the Knights would cut the deficit to two, sophomore Marissa Gregory would thwart the offense the rest of the way, giving the Pacers a 3-1 win. Marywood followed suit in game two, opening the scoring with an RBI single in the second from Abbey Stalter, before Renee McDonald would do the same in the third. The Knights would tie it in the fourth, but the draw was short-lived, as Para would drive home a run in the fifth to give the edge back to Marywood, with the Pacers adding another run in each of the final two innings, closing out the conference sweep, 5-3.
A quick turnaround had the Pacers pitted up against the Griffins of Gwynedd Mercy University. Para opened the scoring in the first, with an RBI double. Gregory was dominant, striking out 11, allowing just three hits, while also adding a two-RBI single to extend the win streak to three with a 3-0 victory. The Griffins struck first in game two, before extending the lead in the fourth. Marywood’s offense was mute until the sixth inning, when Jessica Hanley roped an RBI double to cut into the Griffins’ lead. However, it was too late, as Marywood split the series with Gwynedd Mercy, falling 3-1.
Looking to return the win column, Marywood hit the road, traveling to Albright College, to face the Lions. The offense exploded, batting around and scoring six runs in the opening frame. A two-run home run from Emma McNally was the cherry on top, as the Pacers destroyed the Lions, 9-0. Marywood hit the rewind button in game two, batting around yet again in the first inning, this time plating four runs. Albright chipped away at the lead in the bottom of the first, but Marywood wasn’t done with its scoring onslaught, producing three more runs in the second. The Lions tallied two runs in the second, before another two in the fourth inning. Freshman Marley Sarafinko ripped an RBI single, putting the game out of reach as Marywood took game two by a final score of 8-5.
Men’s Lacrosse
The Pacers opened conference play with a road matchup against the Neumann University Knights. The Pacers opened the scoring, thanks to an early goal from Nick Ericson. Neumann took control from there, five of the next six goals, giving the Knights a healthy lead. The Pacers narrowed the lead to two, but Neumann re-extended the lead, going into the halftime break up 8-3. Marywood dominated the third period, with John Scibello scoring first, followed by a pair of goals from Jake Plokhoy. Aiden Kilkenny’s goal in the fourth cut the margin to one, before Neumann netted another goal. Though Dillon Kane would score, the late Neumann goal proved to be the dagger as Marywood fell, 9-8.
In an attempt to rebound from the heartbreaking loss, the Pacers traveled to Centenary University to face off against the Cyclones. It only took the Pacers 43 seconds to take a lead that the team wouldn’t relinquish, netting 22 consecutive goals from 12 different goal scorers, earning Marywood’s first AEC win, 22-0.
Women’s Lacrosse
After a week-and-a-half hiatus, Marywood was back in action, beginning conference play hosting Neumann University. The dynamic sophomore duo of Kaitlyn Smith and Avery Meighan dominated the first half, scoring six of the Pacers’ eight goals, assisting three, as Marywood led by five at the break. The duo, as well as Olivia Stollsteimer, continued their overpowering offense, being responsible for 13 of Marywood’s 15 goals as the Pacers started conference play on the right note, with a 15-8 victory.
The Pacers looked to stay undefeated in the AEC, when hosting the Cyclones of Centenary University. In just the first two minutes, Stollsteimer, Smith and Kortney Harry found the back of the net. The first two minutes was just foreshadowing of the rest of the game, as the Pacers dominated the Cyclones, clinching the second conference win of the season, 27-7. Both Smith and Harry set career highs in goals scored, with Smith scoring 10 times and Harry seven, with Smith’s performance setting a new program record.
Men’s Golf
Following a second place finish in New Jersey last week, the Pacers returned to action, facing the University of Scranton, Wilkes University and Misericordia University. Paul Appolt led the group, shooting one over par, with Colin Virkitis placing third, shooting five over. However, the University of Scranton had four players finish within the top six, as the Royals secured the victory, followed by the Pacers, who finished shooting 40 over par as a team.
Men’s Tennis
Marywood commuted to Ebensberg, Pa. to face Mount Aloysius College. Marywood was swept in doubles action, while Alex Ni was the lone Pacer to pick up a singles victory. The Pacers fell, 8-1.
Women’s Tennis
The Pacers were riding high, coming off its 9-0 sweep against Clarks Summit University. Marywood were triumphant in two of the three doubles matches, before Faith Kendricks, Kylie Kilgore, Meilil Cianfrocco and Sasha Wibowo were all victorious in their singles matches, as the Pacers knocked off Mount Aloysius College, 6-3.
All stats are from MarywoodPacers.com as of April 10.
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