LOUDONVILLE, NY – Each of the four active members of the Siena Softball senior class registered a multi-hit outing in at least one game during the team's doubleheader sweep of Rider, Saturday. The Saints posted a 6-0 shutout of the Broncs in game one before cruising to a 7-1 victory over their MAAC rivals at Siena Softball Field. The squad did so in record-breaking fashion, while honoring their five graduating members of the Class of 2019.
Game One – Siena 6, Rider 0
Looking to rebound after dropping a mid-week road series at Colgate and continue a three-game conference winning streak, Siena (18-20, 10-4) came out of the gate with runs in each of the first three innings of play. Senior Loryn DeFalco kicked off the scoring spree with an RBI single to shallow center to plate classmate Madysen Cossack, who reached base after garnering her 200th career hit to at-bats before. The co-captain became just the second player in program history and the 17th all-time in the MAAC to hit the milestone, joining Shannon Jones (2010-13), who finished her storied career with 229 base-knocks. Cossack continued her work at the plate by belting a sacrifice fly to center field in the home half of the second, allowing junior Patricia Kalesse to make it a 2-0 ballgame.
The senior class was not finished at the plate entering the middle innings, with Jessika Jaime and Jess Vollmer launching back-to-back RBI singles in the bottom of the third to send in Kalesse and junior Amanda Dodson to extend Siena's lead. Working together with the Saints' defense, junior pitcher Brooke Hughes retired eight batters in a row to move the game along, while Kalesse and Cossack combined to retire the side in the top of the sixth with a double play, negating the only Bronc of the game to get in scoring position. Dodson capped the team's fourth shutout victory of the season off with a 2-RBI single to left that plated Cossack and freshman Natalie Marchese, while Hughes (6-9) allowed just four hits in her first career shutout and fourth complete outing of the year. The victory marked the 100th conference victory in the nine-year coaching career of Bill Lajeunesse, who became the first shipper in program history to reach triple digit league wins.
Game Two – Siena 7, Rider 1
While game two began as a pitching duel, the Saints' upperclassman proved to once again fuel them at the plate, with the team capturing its 14th straight win over Rider (7-38, 3-11) while outscoring their Garden State rivals by a score of 87-25 during that time. After Siena left the bases loaded in the first inning and saw Jaime turn a double play in the top of the third, the offense went to work in the home half of the fourth, breaking out to a 3-0 lead on a furious two-out rally. With runners on first and second, freshman Yamila Evans darted a single to right center that plated classmate Sabrina Vargas and allowed her and Vollmer to move into scoring position following a fielding error. Both would score on the next at-bat, with Cossack contributing to a four-hit, three RBI afternoon with a base hit up the middle.
The Agoura Hills, California native had one more milestone left to reach on the afternoon, earning her only free pass of the series in the bottom of the fifth. The walk gave Cossack 85 on her career, allowing her to pass Sue Rosch (1985-88) for the most in program history. The Broncs would prove to get on the board in the top of the sixth following a leadoff double, with an RBI ground out ending 12.2 straight innings of shutout ball, dating back to Wednesday at Colgate.
Working alongside junior ace Maddie McMahon, who helped to retire eight of the final nine batters in order, the Saints had room for one last shining moment on Senior Day, as Jaime lifted a ball over the fence in left field for her first career home run. McMahon (10-6) became the first Siena pitcher to log a 10-win season since 2016, logging her ninth complete game of the season while tossing seven strikeouts. The Saints used the doubleheader sweep to match their win total from last season, as well as recording the second-most home wins in a single season (11) and logging their seventh straight campaign with double-digit conference wins.
Following their fourth doubleheader sweep of the year, Siena will cap off home play in the 2019 season with a MAAC doubleheader against Monmouth on Monday, April 29. The battle between two of the top three squads in the conference is set for 2 PM and 4 PM game start times at Siena Softball Field.
