LOUDONVILLE, NY – Kicking off a pair of pivotal conference home doubleheaders on the weekend, Siena Softball hosted conference foe Fairfield in a two contests that went down to the wire Friday. The Saints fell, 3-2, to the Stags in game one, before pulling out a 1-0 extra-inning victory in game two to earn a series split.
Game One – Fairfield 3, Siena 2
Hosting the Stags in a rescheduled doubleheader that was originally slated for Sunday, March 31, the Saints got on the board immediately in the bottom of the first. After freshman Yamila Evans and Madysen Cossack reached base to start the game, junior Lauren Sabihon blasted a ball to the center field fence to clear the bases and give Siena (14-18, 6-4) a 2-0 advantage. Fairfield (20-18, 5-6) would crack the scoreboard in the top of the third laying down their own one-out RBI double to come within a run.
Following a Fairfield double play to end the frame frame, the Saints left a runner on defensively, but went down in order in the bottom of the fourth. The sequence made way for the Stags to put up a crooked number in the top of the fifth, scoring on back-to-back plays thanks to an error at third base and a single to right field. Siena left the bases loaded defensively to end the inning, but could not fire up the offense in the latter two innings, and left the tying run on first at the game's conclusion. Junior Brooke Hughes (5-9) took the loss in six innings on the mound, despite striking out three and giving up just a single earned run.
Game Two – Siena 1, Fairfield 0 (8)
Looking to keep up a streak of either splitting or winning conference series' so far this season, the Saints went to work behind right-handed ace Maddie McMahon, who got in a warm-up inning at the end of the first affair. Together with the Saints' defense, the junior helped retire 13 of the first 15 Fairfield batters of the game, while the visitors returned the favor, stranding six Siena betters through the first five innings. The Green and Gold got the closest to scoring in regulation in the bottom of the third, with freshman Sabrina Vargas gunned down at home on a fielder's choice.
After both teams went down in order in the seventh, Siena advanced to its first extra-inning affair since a 4-3 loss at Canisius back on May 1, 2018. The defense held strong to strand a pair of runners and make way for senior Madysen Cossack to extend her program doubles record in the bottom of the frame, shooting a ball into left center with one out. With pinch runner Sarah Dowalo now in scoring position, Sabihon finished what she started on the next at-bat, notching a walk-off single to give the Saints their third shutout of the season. McMahon went the distance in the win, improving to 7-6 on the strength of three strikeouts and moving into sole possession of third place all-time with her sixth career shutout.
Following the split and retention of a spot within the top-4 teams in MAAC play, Siena heads into an Easter Sunday doubleheader with conference foe Canisius at Siena Softball Field. First pitch for game one is set for 10 AM, with the second contest taking place thereafter.
