MADEIRA BEACH, FL – Another day at The Spring Games in sunny Madeira Beach, Florida once again produced close, hard-fought contests for Siena Softball on Saturday. The Saints (10-6) split their second doubleheader of the weekend with a 5-2 win over 2023 NCAA Tournament participant LIU and a 5-3 loss to Patriot League foe Bucknell.  

Siena 5, LIU 2

Facing off against the reigning NEC champions for the first time in nearly two years, The Saints picked up where they left off on Saturday, with sophomore Emma Petersen driving in a pair off a 2 RBI double to center field in the top of the first inning. The Sharks countered with a run of their own in the bottom of the inning off an RBI infield single.

In a game which featured a combined nine errors – including six from LIU – the designated home team tied the game up on a fielding error by the Saints in the bottom of the third. Once again led by a sparking complete-game performance from redshirt-sophomore Alissa Eimont in the circle, Siena used miscues to turn a crooked inning in the fifth, with junior McKenzie Swinson coming in to score the go-ahead run on a fielding error at third, and senior Mikala Fletcher singling up the middle to send freshman Mary Mikalsen around. 

Giampolo got one more run into play in the bottom of the sixth again on an error at third, with senior Isabella Pardo scoring. LIU stranded five runners defensively on the day and saw its last seven batters retired in-order by the Green and Gold, who held an 8-3 hits advantage. Swinson turned in a multi-hit game, while Eimont moved to 6-1 on the year with three strikeouts.

Bucknell 5, Siena 3

The Saints then met Bucknell for the second time in three years and again got on the board first, with Pardo ending in freshman Chloe Cummings on an RBI single in the third. After stranding a combined seven Bucknell runners defensively during the first four innings, Siena found insurance in the home half of the fifth, with Swinson batting in freshman Carlie Venables on an RBI single and then coming around to score on an RBI double from junior Ashley Giampolo. The middle innings also featured diving catches in the outfield from Swinson in right and Cummings in left.

Bucknell began to turn things around in the top of the sixth as they went back through the order, with the bases loading up with one out to force a Siena pitching change. Siena made a stop at home off a bases-loaded fielder's choice following an RBI single to get the Bison on the board, but then let up a bases-loaded walk and a bases-clearing double to left center field to complete a crooked five-run frame for the designated visitors.

The Bison powered through despite an assistant coach ejection in the bottom of the sixth, stranding Siena runners in each of the final two frames. Both teams managed seven hits and one error, with Swinson, Giampolo, and Fletcher each recording a pair of knocks. Graduate student Nicole Patille took a no decision in five and one-third innings with three strikeouts and four walks, while Eimont (6-3) was unable to hold onto the save during the final one-and-two-thirds innings.  

Siena will look to end weekend action at The Spring Games on a high note with a matchup against Columbia set for the first time since 2015 on Sunday, March 10 at 12:30 PM.