WASHINGTON, D.C. – Siena Softball (6-10) continued an eight-game road trip through the Mid-Atlantic states with a doubleheader split against Howard (10-17) at the Nationals Youth Academy in Washington, D.C. Wednesday afternoon. The Saints escaped wet weather to pick up a 3-1 win in the opener before falling in a 2-1 decision to end the day.
 
Siena 3, Howard 1
 
Facing off with its second straight foe out of the MEAC, Siena played the Bison through two scoreless innings before a double steal in the bottom of the third put the home team on the board. The Saints knotted the game up with defensive trickery of their own in the fifth, as senior Sabrina Vargas scored on a wild pitch. An RBI triple off the bat of senior Ava Fitzmaurice gave the Green and Gold the lead for good later in the inning, while junior Kaitlyn Davis came in to score in the seventh on a bases-loaded walk.  
 
Both teams garnered six hits in the opener, while a pair of errors hurt Howard defensively. Junior Jocelyn Ulrich wend 2-4 from the plate to steady Siena offensively, while Fitzmaurice (4-3) registered a complete game win for the second straight day in the circle, allowing just one earned run and striking out one batter.
 
Howard 2, Siena 1
 
The teams would endure another low-scoring affair in game two, with an RBI single to left from Fitzmaurice scored junior Antonia Alba to get Siena ahead in the top of the first. Working behind three and two-thirds innings of scoreless ball from freshman arm Adriana Romano, the Saints stranded four Howard runners over the next four innings defensively, but the Bison offense came alive in the sixth. Howard put together a two-out rally and had runners on second and third when an RBI single gave them a crooked inning to take the lead. The Saints placed the tying run on first with two outs in the seventh, but could not extend the game to end the day with a split.
 
Sophomore Isabella Pardo went 2-4 to lead Siena offensively, with the Saints holding a 5-4 advantage in hits. Howard's Analise De La Roca (6-4) struck out three in a complete game victory in the circle, while junior Nicole Patille (1-2) took the loss despite four strikeouts in two and one-third innings of relief ball.
 
Siena will next head north to The First State to battle Delaware State on Thursday, March 24 at 2 PM as its Spring Break road trip continues.