HAMILTON, NY – Siena Softball faltered on the road Wednesday afternoon, losing both games of a non-conference doubleheader to Patriot League opponent Colgate at Eaton Street Field in Hamilton, NY. The Saints battled to a nine-inning, 5-4 loss in game one, before conceding an 8-5 decision to end conclude non-conference road action on the 2019 season.
Game One – Colgate 5, Siena 4, (9)
Beginning their first action against the Raiders since 2014, the Saints left the bases loaded in the top of the first before the teams exchanged three scoreless frames. Siena capitalized on a Colgate folly in the top of the third, with freshman Natalie Marchese knocking a bases-loaded RBI single through the left side and then moving all the way to third thanks to an error by the left fielder. The play allowed sophomore Neysa Ouellette and juniors Amanda Dodson and Lauren Sabihon to give the Saints a 3-0 lead.
With right-hander Brooke Hughes guiding the Saints into the bottom of the fourth, the Raiders put forth their own three-run frame, batting around to knot the game at three. Following a bases loaded single with one out, a fielder's choice and a two-out single gave the game new life entering the fifth, despite Colgate leaving the bases loaded. After freshman Sarah Dowalo entering to pitch in the bottom of the fifth, the Raiders tacked on the go-ahead run in the following frame with an RBI single. After putting base runners on with a single and a fielding error, Siena breathed new life with two outs in the top of the seventh. Junior Patricia Kalesse, who had come in at the designated player spot in the previous inning, single to right field to send home Amanda Dodson and send the Saints to extra innings for the third time in their last four games after retiring the side in order in the bottom of the frame.
Batting first to start the eighth, freshman Sabrina Vargas began the inning with a single to center, and make it to second following a fielder's choice that allowed senior Jess Vollmer to get on as well. With the pair at second and third and Sabihon walking to load it up, Vargas attempted to score on a fielder's choice from Dodson, but was caught at the plate to keep it at four-all. After the Raiders went down in order defensively, the Saints could only muster a double to kick off the ninth, while the Raiders placed a pair of runners on, and with two outs, ended the game with a walk-off single to second. Dowalo (0-3) struck out a trio of batters and allowed just a single earned run despite taking the loss in four and two-thirds of an inning, while Hughes fanned a pair while registering a four-inning no-decision to start.
Game Two- Colgate 8, Siena 5
With freshman Yamila Evans stepping inside the circle for the first time in two weeks, the Raiders began a 5-0 surge with a run coming in on a fielder's choice in the bottom of the first inning. The home half of the second proved to bring more offense in for Colgate, who loaded up the bases and then brought home for with a pair of RBI singles, a triple and a ground out.
With the sun steadily going down and time running out in the top of the fifth, the Saints began their pull back into the contest with Vollmer coming home from second on an RBI single up the middle from Evans. Having already tied the program record for career walks in her first at-bat, senior Madysen Cossack slammed a two-run home run to left field for her third big-fly in the last four contests, cutting the deficit to two. The bottom of the fifth proved to add a pair of insurance runs for Colgate who fired off their own solo home run, and then tacked on an RBI double to make the score 7-5.
The Saints made their final push in the visiting frame of the sixth inning, with Cossack clearing the bases on a double to right center, after Kalesse and Vargas were walked to start the inning. An RBI double in the following frame cemented the three-run victory and the sweep for the home team, while Evans (2-2) suffered the loss in two innings. Junior Maddie McMahon struck out five batters through the middle three innings of the affair, while Dowalo got in an additional inning of work.
