MADEIRA BEACH, FL – A pair of Bay State teams got to the better of Siena Softball (3-7) Saturday, as the Saints continued play at the Madeira Beach Invitational in Madeira Beach, Florida. Following delays that lasted into the afternoon due to inclement weather, the Saints dropped a 3-0 decision to Merrimack before falling, 5-2, to Holy Cross in the nightcap.
Merrimack 3, Siena 0
Facing off against the Warriors for the first time ever, The Saints could not recover from early offense, with their opponent using a 2 RBI single to get on the board in the first and extending the lead with a single down the left field line in the second. Merrimack held a 13-5 advantage in hits, and only allowed two Siena batters to advance into scoring position.
The Saints received hits from five different players, while right-hander
Ava Fitzmaurice (2-3) took the loss in the circle, surrendering three earned runs on nine hits and striking out one. Junior
Nicole Patille tossed four and one-third scoreless frames, allowing four hits and striking out one batter, while Merrimack's Bry Michitson picked a complete game win in the circle.
Holy Cross 5, Siena 2
The Saints were again victims of early defensive woes that allowed the Crusaders to pull out to an early lead and never look back in the teams' first of three scheduled meetings this year. Holy Cross sent in four runs on five hits while batting 11 during the first inning, using an RBI single and a three-run home run from Erin Bengston to take the lead.
The Saints responded in the home half of the second with junior
Jocelyn Ulrich being sent home from second off an RBI single from senior
Sabrina Vargas, but fell back to being down four following Bengston's second big-fly of the game in the third. Vargas would plate one more run for the Green and Gold in the bottom of the fourth by way of an RBI double that sent in Ulrich once more.
Holy Cross's Kelly Nelson struck out eight batters in a complete game win in the circle, while freshman
Adriana Romano (1-1) took the loss for the Saints in just one-third of an inning.
Allison Speshyock contributed to innings in relief, while Patille went for 4.2 more and struck out three. Vargas, Ulrich, and Fitzmaurice each grabbed two hits for Siena to lead the team offensively.
Siena will look to end its weekend at the Madeira Beach Invitational on a high note Sunday, with games scheduled against Lafayette at 9 AM and Purdue at 11:30 AM.
