FAIRFAX, VA – Competing in its fourth consecutive day of competition over Spring Break, Siena Softball (9-10) captured its first doubleheader sweep of the 2022 season, taking a twin bill at George Mason Friday afternoon. The Saints won a marathon 7-6 contest in 10 innings before taking a 4-1 win in the nightcap at the George Mason Softball Complex in Fairfax, Virginia. With nine wins prior to the start of conference play, the team has now compiled its most non-league wins in a season since 2016.
 
Siena 7, George Mason 6 (10)
 
Taking the field against the Patriots for the first time since 2018, the Saints kept momentum rolling from a 23-2 blowout win over Delaware State the previous day. After George Mason took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first off an RBI single, the Saints pulled ahead in the third, with junior Sophia Caputo batting in senior Sabrina Vargas on an RBI single and then scoring herself on a sacrifice fly from Ava Fitzmaurice.
 
The lead continued to shift between the squad into the middle innings, with George Mason knotting the game at two with an RBI double in the bottom of the third. Sophomore Mikala Fletcher came in from third on a passed ball in the top of the fourth to temporarily give the Saints the lead back, but the home team fired back with a three-run frame off three singles in the bottom of the inning to go up, 5-3.
 
Siena would score the final two runs of regulation en-route to its third extra-inning contest of the season, with junior Emma McLaughlin scoring freshman Kyleigh Potter in the fifth with an RBI double, and then singling in the seventh to score Potter once more and tie the game at five. The Saints wasted no time scoring in the eighth, with junior Jocelyn Ulrich coming in off a sacrifice fly from sophomore Isabella Pardo, but George Mason used a passed ball to keep the game knotted.
 
The Green and Gold's third and final sacrifice fly of the day proved to be the dagger, with junior Shannon Bonewit clearing the way for Potter to come across for a third time and give he team the winning run. The Patriots moved the potential game-tying run to third, but could not find the final 60 feet as Siena secured victory in its longest game since last season's 11-inning win over Saint Peter's on April 10, 2021.
 
Siena out-hit George Mason, 11-10, with McLaughlin going 3-4 with a pair of RBI's to lead the team offensively. Senior pitcher Ava Fitzmaurice started the game in the circle for the Saints, striking out five and walking two. Freshman Adriana Romano (2-6) provided six solid innings of relief to pick up the win, allowing just a single, unearned run on no hits and striking out five.
 
Siena 4, George Mason 1
 
The Saints would come out firing in game two to take a 2-0 lead in the first inning, with Bonewit sending home Pardo on an RBI single and McLaughlin plating Fitzmaurice on a sacrifice fly. Fitzmaurice gave her team an insurance run in the top of the third with a solo home run to left field for her first big-fly in a Siena uniform.
 
The damage for the Green and Gold during game two was done in the circle, with junior pitcher Nicole Patille putting on a career display with nine strikeouts. The Ocean View, Delaware native retired the first 10 batters of the game and limited the Patriots to four hits, while only walking a pair of batters to improve to 2-2 on the year in complete game fashion.
 
George Mason found the scoreboard with an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth, but the Saints' defense stomped other attempts to climb back into the game, including stranding runners on second and third defensively. A sacrifice fly from Vergas scored freshman Ashley Giampolo in the seventh to give the game its final run, with Fitzmaurice leading the way offensively for the Saints with a pair of hits.
 
Now winners of three straight and five of seven games during its Mid-Atlantic road trip, Siena will take the field once more at George Mason on Saturday, March 26 at Noon in search of a weekend sweep.