April 21, 2011
Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score
Siena softball split with Holy Cross Thursday at Siena Field, cruising to an 11-5 win in the opener before dropping a 5-2 decision in the nightcap. It's the first of two doubleheaders in two days for the Saints, who host Canisius in two league games with large stakes on Friday.
The Saints (15-20) played from behind early on in game one, as the Crusaders struck for two runs in the top of the first. However, Siena would pull ahead 3-2 in the third, and unleashed eight runs in innings four through six after Holy Cross retook a 4-3 lead in the top of the fourth.
A perfect 4-for-4, four-RBI performance from sophomore Shannon Jones led Siena to victory. Senior Courtney Brinkman, meanwhile, belted two solo home runs, while Samantha Ray, Alyssa Sceppaguercio, and Nastasha Powlowsky also had multiple hits. Jessika - Jo Sandrini picked up her ninth win of the season, while Mandy Ferro notched her second save after three strong innings of relief.
The 11 runs were the second-most Siena has scored all season, and the most the Saints had scored in a home game in nearly four years. The last time the Saints scored 11 in Loudonville was on April 24, 2007, when the Saints defeated MAAC rival Fairfield in an 11-10 slugfest.
For a while, it looked like Siena would take down game two as well. Siena scored runs in the second and fourth innings, and starter Amanda Filippazzo took a shutout into the sixth. However, the Crusader bats then caught fire, scoring three in the sixth and two unearned runs in the seventh to salvage a split.
Siena saw its offensive output come from a small group of players in the nightcap, as Ferro and Sceppaguercio each had two hits and Brinkman and Kayla Kaminsky had one RBI apiece. Saints not named Ferro or Sceppaguercio went 0-for-20, and Siena managed just one baserunner in the last three innings of play.
The Saints host Canisius on Friday afternoon in a doubleheader that could have sizable MAAC Tournament implications. Both teams are 3-5 in conference play, just two games behind a three-way tie for third between Niagara, Iona, and Manhattan. The first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Siena Field.
