BUFFALO, NY – Siena Softball saw its 2023 season come to a close after a long, hard-fought day of action to begin the 2023 MAAC Championships at the Demske Sports Complex in Buffalo, New York on Wednesday. The No. 5 seed Saints (32-21) dropped a 5-3 decision to No. 4 Fairfield before falling to No. 6 Iona in extra innings, 4-1, thereafter.  

#4 Fairfield 5, #5 Siena 3

Entering the week on a four-game losing skid after being swept by both the Stags and the Gaels last weekend, Siena once again struggled to produce offensively, with Fairfield getting on the board with two-run homer in the second and extending the lead to four with a sacrifice bunt and an RBI single in the third.

Despite out-hitting Fairfield, 9-6, during the contest, Siena stranded seven runners on-base, and finally broke through with an RBI ground out from junior Mikala Fletcher that allowed classmate Isabella Pardo to score. The Saints made it a one-run ballgame thanks to sophomore Ashley Giampolo, who took a pitch deep to left field for her first home run of the season to add two runs. Fairfield brought the lead back to two via an error in the sixth, and retired the side in the seventh to send the Saints to the loser's bracket.

Pardo went 3-4 with one run on the day to lead the team offensively, while graduate student Ava Fitzmaurice (13-8) took the loss in two and two-thirds innings in what would be the final pitching appearance of her storied  two-year career as a Saint. Senior Nicole Patille tossed four strikeouts over the final three and one-third innings.

#6 Iona 4, #5 Siena 1 (8)

Siena then entered a close duel with its final regular season opponent, who took a loss to No. 3 Marist earlier in the day. Following three scoreless innings of play, the Gaels struck first off of a throwing error in the top of the fourth. Siena answered off a fielding error in the bottom of the fifth that allowed Giampolo to score and tie the game at one. Both squads registered 1-2-3 innings in the final two frames, defensively, to send Siena to its first postseason extra-inning affair since 2014.

Iona loaded up the bases with two outs and Siena had them down to the final strike in the top of the eighth, but a bases-loaded walk broke the stalemate, and was followed by an RBI single to left that plated two more runs, with Iona shutting the door in the bottom of the frame. The Gaels held a 6-3 hits advantage, with Siena's Alissa Eimont (10-7) taking the complete game loss with three strikeouts.

Siena concludes the 2023 season after tying the program record for wins, posting its second straight 30-win season, and making a postseason appearance for the sixth straight year.