Manhattan Game Final Stats | Fairfield Game Final Stats

Siena will have to wait at least another year before it claims its first MAAC softball championship. But the Saints are getting closer. Much closer. Fairfield handed Siena a season-ending 7-3 loss just hours after the Saints ended Manhattan's season with a 4-1 victory that brought the team within a single game of its first title appearance.

"I just told (the team) I was really proud of their effort," Siena head coach Bill Lajeunesse said. "They never gave up all the way to the last out."

Lajeunesse has done amazing work in his five years leading the Saints. The team has won 20 or more games in each of his seasons after doing that just once in the 35 seasons before he took over. This marked the first time the program has won multiple MAAC Tournament games.

"The first time we were here we didn't win a game, the second time we won one, the third time (this season) we won two," Lajeunesse said. "Now our goal is when we come here the fourth time we're going to skip over number three and we're just going to win (the championship)."

Game 1 - Siena 4, Manhattan 1

Paige Hess' three-run home run in the fifth was the difference as Siena eliminated Manhattan from the Championships with a 4-1 victory. Freshman Lauren Butts entered the circle in the second inning and allowed just one hit over six nearly perfect shutout innings to pick up the victory.

Both teams got off to a hot start, scoring a run in their first at bat.

Stephanie Viggiano doubled to deep right centerfield, and she came around to score the game's first run on a sharp single to left by Sammy Smaldone.

Manhattan scored its only run on a bases loaded, two-out walk in the bottom of the first. Saints' starter Amanda Gatt avoided further trouble when Briana Matazinsky fouled out to end the frame.

Siena threatened several times over the next three innings, but couldn't push a run across. The Saints had two runners thrown out at third in the third inning, and couldn't score with two hits and a walk in the fourth.

Thursday's hero Paige Lloyd started the decisive rally with a single to center in the fifth. Abby Carpenter followed with a double to right center, bringing Hess to the plate with runners on second and third and no outs. The freshman delivered a three-run blast over the left centerfield wall.

Butts took it from there, allowing just one base runner over the final three innings - and that runner was erased with the Saints' seventh double play of the season. The freshman finished with six strikeouts and just one walk in her six brilliant innings.

Siena out-hit Manhattan 11-2. Eight different Saints had hits, with Hess, Viggiano and Lancaster each collecting two.

Game 2 - Fairfield 7, Siena 3

Fairfield scored four unearned runs on three key infield throwing errors. That was the difference in a 7-3 Stags' win that ended the Saints' season.

Trouble ensued in the Stags very first at bat of the game when Viggiano threw wide of first allowing Lauren Filicia to advance to second. Filicia scored the first run of the game on Tori Reed's sacrifice fly and Fairfield led the rest of the way.

The Stags plated two more unearned runs in the third - this time the key play was a throwing error by starting pitcher Amanda Gatt that allowed Filicia to score again and set up another Fairfield sac fly.

Siena got right back in the game with two runs in the fourth. Abby Carpenter picked up the Saints' first hit of the game with a sharp one-out single, then Hess was hit with a pitch and Alyssa Lancaster singled to load the bases. Melanie Kalesse followed with an RBI hit to left and Lauren Milligan's sac fly brought Siena within a run.

The Stags gained separation with two runs in the fourth and fifth innings. Nicole Carpa's second home run of the day made it 4-2, and Filicia had an RBI ground out later in the fourth to push the lead back to three runs. Sam Frungillo's RBI double in the fifth highlighted a two-run rally that made it 7-2 in the fifth.

Siena didn't go down quietly. Hess launched her second home run of the day over the left centerfield fence in the sixth and seniors Lauren Milligan and Viggiano each singled sharply in their final at bat to make things interesting in the seventh.

Lauren Falkanger went the distance to even her record at 11-11. The Stags will try for their first MAAC Championship since 1991 Saturday, needing to beat Monmouth twice to earn it.

"The senior class has been a great group." Lajeunesse said. "I'm really excited for them because they got to experience this Tournament three times and there's many, many softball players in Siena history that never got to experience it at all."