DOVER, DE – Siena Softball kicked off its final lead-up to the beginning of conference play for the 2024 season with a split of a Mid-Atlantic non-conference foe on Tuesday. The Saints (13-8) took a defensive 1-0 win over Delaware State before falling in an 11-6 nightcap decision at The Hornets Nest in Dover, Delaware on Tuesday.

Siena 1, Delaware State 0

Kicking off a stretch of four games in two days, the Saints entered a pitcher's duel with the Hornets, led by graduate student pitcher Nicole Patille. The Ocean View, Delaware native struck out at least one batter in six of seven innings – including two apiece in each of the first three – and helped the visitors strand seven DSU batters defensively.

Siena struggled on the other side of the ball, stranding a pair of runners in the first and allowing the home team to retire seven straight batters thereafter. Things finally let up for the offensive in the top of the seventh, when sophomore Emma Petersen led off with a single to center field and was pinch run for by freshman Mary Mikalsen, who advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by classmate Chloe Cummings. She then scored the go-ahead run on an RBI single from senior Mikala Fletcher, with two runners stranded on first and second to secure the win.

Siena held a 5-3 hits advantage, with Patille's strikeout total coming one away from the program single-game record to improve her to a perfect 5-0 on the season. Senior Isabella Pardo led the way offensively with a multi-hit game.

Delaware State 11, Siena 6

Looking for their first win over the Green and Gold since 2011, the Hornets turned the tides in game two, posting a late rally in what proved to be a barn-burner in The First State. Siena again struck first, with Petersen lacing a triple to right to score Pardo and fifth year Jocelyn Ulrich scoring Petersen on an RBI single. The home squad responded with two runs of their own in the fifth via a double steal and an RBI single.

Two more extra-base hits put the Saints back on top in the top of the sixth, with Mikalsen sending in sophomore Mckenzie Faherty on an RBI double and junior McKenzie Swinson scoring Mikalsen on an RBI triple. The sixth inning proved to be long, definitive, and busy, as Delaware State responded with a crooked six-run frame in the home half of the inning. The inning included two RBI doubles, one RBI triple, and three RBI singles to swing things the way of the home team. Siena managed to get a run back off an RBI double from Ulrich, but could not come any closer despite recording a season-high 14 hits and out-slugging the Hornets.

Ulrich, Petersen, Pardo, and Swinson all record multi-hit outings, with the former two each going for three hits apiece. Redshirt-sophomore pitcher Alissa Eimont struck out four in a five-inning no-decision before freshman Chloe Cummings took the loss with five earned runs allowed over two-thirds of an inning. Freshman Gracie Goewey and junior Kaycie Kennedy also saw action in the circle for the Saints.

Siena will look to continue to build momentum toward MAAC play with a doubleheader at Army West Point on-tap beginning at 2 PM on Wednesday, March 27 in West Point, New York.