LOUDONVILLE, NY - Fighting cold and windy conditions, Siena Softball hosted the Niagara Purple Eagles for a pair of games from Siena Softball Field Wednesday afternoon. Niagara topped Siena in game one 6-2 before the Saints battled back to earn an 11-7 victory in game two.
Niagara 6, Siena 2
Alissa Eimont worked through the first two innings without a blemish until the Purple Eagles struck first in the top of the third. With two on and one out, Hailey Cenname connected for a three-run home run to left field as part of a 3-4 performance.
Siena came back in the bottom of the third when
Gracie Goewey delivered with the bases loaded, driving in a pair on a single through the right side to bring the Saints within one. However, Niagara came right back in the top of the fourth with another three-run home run by Sophia Marrero to break its lead open to 6-2.
That's where the game would stand as Siena went down in order over the fourth through sixth innings, and couldn't plate a pair of runners in the seventh.
Aside from Goewey,
Chloe Cummings and
Carlie Venables each had one hit.
Siena 11, Niagara 7
The Purple Eagles carried momentum into game two as Natasha Limbani took the first pitch of the game over the left field fence for a 1-0 lead. Following a single to the next batter,
Kaycie Kennedy settled in and retired the next three to get out of the inning.
Siena came back and began to heat up at the plate in the home half of the first. With
Chloe Cummings on first,
Gracie Goewey smacked a one-out triple to even the score, and then came home on an
Emma Petersen sacrifice fly for the team's first lead of the afternoon.
The Saints added another in the third when
McKenzie Swinson took home on a Cummings steal of second, but Niagara came back later with four runs in the top of the fifth to jump ahead 5-3.
Unfazed, the Green and Gold matched the Purple Eagles with four runs in the home half - starting with a bases loaded RBI single from Petersen. A walk, and back-to-back wild pitches added the next three to put Siena back in the lead 7-5.
Immediately in the top of the 6th, Natasha Limbani belted her second long ball of the game, this time a two-run shot that evened the score at 7-7. This led to Goewey coming into the circle to finish the afternoon - and that she did. The sophomore went the final 1.2 innings with just one hit allowed, walking none and striking out a pair.
Meanwhile, her offense gave her four runs by the end of the game, with Petersen supplying two on sixth inning two-RBI double to help fuel the 11-7 win.
The Saints hit the road this weekend for a three-game series at Mount St. Mary's. The sides meet for the first two Friday afternoon, with game one of the doubleheader set for noon.
