POUGHKEEPSIE, NY – Make it eight straight MAAC softball tournaments that the No. 6 seed has made its way into the MAAC Semifinals. After advancing into the winner's bracket with an Opening Round win on Wednesday, No. 6 seed Siena Softball (31-20) continued to March On with a 3-2 win over No. 2 Niagara (27-20) in the 2024 MAAC Quarterfinals at Softball Park at Gartland Athletic Field in Poughkeepsie, New York on Thursday morning.

Undeterred by playing an-hour-and-a-half earlier than scheduled due to weather-related changes the Green and Gold continued their third straight 30-win campaign by clinching their second MAAC Semifinal berth in the last three seasons by securing only the program's third-ever multi-win postseason run.

The Saints kicked off what would become its first-ever postseason win over Niagara the same way that it started things off on Wednesday against Rider – with a three-run home run from its top power hitter. Following two scoreless innings from both teams that featured a highlight-reel worthy catch at the centerfield fence from senior Isabella Pardo in the second inning, sophomore Emma Petersen stepped up with runners on first and second and launched a three-run bomb for the second straight day in the top of the third for her sixth home run of the year.

After going the distance in Wednesday's win, redshirt-sophomore pitcher Alissa Eimont again took the ball and duked it out with MAAC Co-Pitcher of the Year Maggie Hickingbottom, bookending the bottom of the first inning with strikeouts. Niagara answered the home run in the bottom of the third with their own power scoring play, but still trailed at the end of the inning due to a technicality. The Purple Eagles nearly had a game-tying three-run home run from freshman Briana Delaney, but the hitter passed a runner at first who had planned to tag up on the basepaths as she was rounding first, resulting in the play being negated to a two-run single and the second out of the inning.

Siena kept poking away following the sequence, but stranded two runners on in the fourth to set up nine straight batters retired by Niagara defensively. The Saints again broke through, but stranded the bases loaded in the top of the seventh to set up one final chance in a one run game for a team that had swept them in a three-game series during the regular season. Niagara moved the potential game-tying run to second in the home half of the inning, but Eimont and the defense weathered a marathon 13-pitch at-bat to put Siena in the Friday winner's bracket game for the first time ever.

The Saints triumphed despite being out-hit, 6-5, with Pardo and senior Mikala Fletcher each going 2-3 from the plate. Eimont (18-8) struck out three in her second complete game win in as many days to continue the second-most wins by a Siena pitcher in single-season history.

The Green and Gold will next face No. 4 Canisius on Friday, May 10 at 11 AM with a berth in the 2024 MAAC Championship Game on the line. Should the Saints win, they would next play on Saturday, May 11 at 11 AM, while a loss would put them in an elimination game against either Marist, Iona, or Niagara on Friday at 4 PM.