Siena Softball kept its streak of splitting conference doubleheader in the 2019 season alive Saturday afternoon, falling to I-87 rival Marist, 6-0, before pulling out a 5-3 victory to cap the day in Poughkeepsie, NY.
 
Game One – Marist 6, Siena 0
 
With the start of the opening contest being pushed back two hours due to field conditions from heavy rain the night before, Marist (23-18, 8-2) began the afternoon with a bang, loading up the bases in the top of the first for Kaley Coltrain, who launched a grand slam ball to right center. Riding behind a complete game one-hit effort from pitcher Calista Phippen, the Red Foxes retired the first six Saints in order before allowing a base runner in the third via a throwing error. Siena (10-16, 3-3) would place just three women on in the affair, leaving them all stranded.
 
The home team's offense would come alive later in the game, with an RBI double to left center plating a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the fifth to give the contest its final score. Junior right-hander Brooke Hughes (4-7) took the loss in five innings, striking out five and walking three, while Sarah Dowalo appeared for an inning of relief thereafter. The conference leader in ERA, Phippen improved to 13-2 behind eight strikeouts and just a single free pass issued.
 
Game Two – Siena 5, Marist 3
 
Looking to take a game out of the conference series with their longtime foes for the fifth straight season, the Saints broke off 10.1 straight scoreless innings immediately into the second game, placing the first three runners of the game on-base and carving out a pair if first-inning runs. Freshman Yamila Evans reached home on a sacrifice fly from junior Amanda Dodson, while sophomore Neysa Ouellette singled up the middle to plate senior Madysen Cossack. Gaining momentum behind quality pitching in a complete game effort from junior Maddie McMahon, the Saints stranded Red Foxes in each of the first two innings. The team then plated insurance runs off back-to-back scoring plays from junior Lauren Sabihon and senior Loryn DeFalco, the latter in the former of a two-RBI single that drove in the former and Cossack to make it 5-0.
 
Marist would put forth its biggest offensive burst of the game in the home half of the third inning, with Ali Milam sending a double to left center to score a pair and partially close the gap. McMahon (4-6) would strike out six opposing batters thereafter and leave the bases full of Foxes in the bottom of the sixth, en-route to a compete effort that included a season-high nine strikeouts and four walks. Phippen took the loss for Marist in 1.2 innings to start the contest, while reliever Megan Beiermeister struck out four in the remining 5.1.
Following the split, Siena heads south to Hamden, CT to take on Quinnipiac to conclude a pair of weekend conference road doubleheaders. First pitch against the Bobcats in game one is set for 11 AM, having been move up an hour from its original start time.