MADEIRA BEACH, FL – Siena Softball (4-8) began its final day of action at the Madeira Beach Invitational with a wild back-and-forth affair that resulted in victory to begin the day. The Saints picked up an 11-10 win over Lafayette in eight innings before falling to Big Ten foe Purdue, 4-1, to end weekend action in the Sunshine State.
 
Siena 11, Lafayette 10 (8)
 
The first meeting in four years between the two programs began with the Leopards breaking out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the second off a bases-loaded RBI double. Following a pitching change, Siena responded with an RBI single from junior Emma McLaughlin that plated freshman Kyleigh Potter to make it 3-1. Lafayette would use another two-bagger in the top of the fourth to push the lead to 5-1, but Siena stayed within arms reach in the home half of the frame behind a two-run homer to left center from transfer junior Jocelyn Ulrich for her first big-fly in a Saints uniform.
 
The fifth inning brought much of the same, with Lafayette doubling to left center to pull out to a 7-3 advantage and Potter launching a three-run bomb over the center field fence to put the Green and Golf within one. A two-run home run in the top of the sixth made it a 9-6 ballgame in favor of Siena's Easton, Pennsylvania-based opponent, but the Saints finally pulled ahead in the bottom of the frame. Sophomore Antonia Alba reached on a fielder's choice that scored senior Sabrina Vargas before coming in herself off a single from senior Ava Fitzmaurice that preceded a Lafayette throwing error. A two RBI single from McLaughlin allowed Fitzmaurice and sophomore Mikala Fletcher to score to give the Saints a 10-9 lead and a chance to end the game in the seventh.
 
Looking for its first-ever win over Siena, Lafayette had more in the tank, loading up the bases for a fielder's choice to tie the game in the top of the seventh. The Saints could not push a runner on second home in the bottom of the inning en-route to their second extra-inning affair. After stranding a pair of Lafayette runners on-base, the Saints ended the game in the bottom of the eighth, with Fletcher scoring from third on a wild pitch.
 
The win featured a season-high 14 hits for the Green and Gold, including three apiece from Potter, McLaughlin, and Vargas, with the beforementioned pair racking up three RBI's each as well. Fitzmaurice and junior pitcher Nicole Patille each pitched two separate stints in the marathon game, with Patille (1-0) earning her first win of the year with three and two-thirds of an inning in the circle, allowing just one run during that period. Fitzmaurice struck out one batter in two and two-thirds of an inning, while junior Allison Speshyock downed two batters in one and two-thirds of an inning.
 
Purdue 4, Siena 1
 
Siena closed out its second weekend of action with its first-ever meeting with the Boilermakers and second against a Big Ten opponent this year. The Saints took a 1-0 lead off the bat thanks to an RBI triple from Ulrich that plated Fitzmaurice in the top of the first, but were silenced behind a complete game effort from Purdue's Alex Echazarreta in the circle.
 
The Boilermakers took the lead with a 2 RBI double in the bottom of the first and extended their advantage off a 2 RBI single in the third. The Saints, who placed just one runner in scoring position after the first inning, were led offensively by Ulrich's 2-3 day at the plate. Freshman Adriana Romano (1-2) took the loss in the circle for the Green and Gold by allowing four runs off six hits and striking out three in two and one-third innings.
 
Siena will have a week-and-a-half off from game play before embarking on an 18-game road trip, beginning with action at Morgan State, Howard, Delaware State, and George Mason March 22-26.