Making the lengthy trip to Emmitsburg, MD, Siena Softball took on the Mount St. Mary's (the Mount) Mountaineers Friday afternoon for the first two of a three-game weekend series. In a low scoring opening contest, the Mount (9-32, 4-16) topped Siena (25-16-1, 9-5-1) 2-1 in eight innings before Siena evened the series in the second game with an 8-3 victory.   
 
The Mount 2, Siena 1 (8)
 
The Saints went down in order to open the game, while the Mount manufactured the first run of the contest. With runners on the corners and one away, Brianna Manni executed a sacrifice bunt to score the runner from third for a modest 1-0 lead. 
 
Siena threatened in the top of the fourth after Gracie Goewey walked with one out, and Emma Petersen followed with a single. With two outs and Gianna DiMeglio up, the freshman poked a fly ball into right, but a diving catch by Gina Del Giorno took away extra bases and Siena's first runs of the game. 
 
In the home half, the Mount looked to extend its lead with the bases loaded and one away. However, starter Alissa Eimont struck out the ensuing two batters to keep Siena's deficit to one run moving into the fifth. Eimont repeated the situation in the fifth as the Mountaineers had the bases loaded and two outs, and she struck out the next batter she faced to move the game to sixth. 
 
Eimont kept the Mount at one run through the sixth, doing so while striking out eight over the duration of the game to get to 100 this season. Looking to mount a comeback, Carlie Venables reached with one out in the seventh, but was thrown out at second on a fielder's choice to leave Lauren Melton up with two outs and pinch-runner Mary Mikalsen on first. 
 
Down to her final strike, Melton ripped a bouncer to shortstop which got under the glove and rolled all the way to the outfield fence, allowing Mikalsen to race home and tie the game. 
 
While Siena came up empty in eighth, the Mount pushed across the winning run with one out in the bottom half after a base hit scored a runner from second. 
 
Siena 8, The Mount 3
 
Megan Klein opened the game with an infield single, and found herself at third with two outs in the frame. Emma Petersen walked to put runners on the corners, but the Mount forced Gracie Goewey to ground out to end the top of the first. 
 
The Saints made up for it in the second inning. Just two batters in, Ashley Giampolo brought in Lauren Melton from third on an error to short after Melton opened the inning also reaching on an error on a bunt attempt. McKenzie Swinson then delivered an RBI single to right to bring Giampolo home, making it 2-0 Saints. 
 
After two clean innings from Kaycie Kennedy, the Mountaineers finally got to the senior in the bottom of the third. With two outs and two on, Kelsie Bandelow connected for a three-run home run to left to give the Mount a 3-2 lead. 
 
Siena got its offense going once again in the top of the fifth when Klein reached on an error, and Carlie Venables right after on a bloop single to center. After advancing one base each, Klein came in on a fielder's choice in which Petersen also reached safely on, while Gracie Goewey hit into an E4 which brought home Venables for a 4-3 lead. Cali DeLawder added two more with a pinch-hit, two-RBI single to make it 6-3 going into the home half. 
 
Still leading 6-3 in the top of the sixth, the Saints loaded the bases with two outs. The lefty Melton slapped a pitch the opposite way to left field, bringing in two more to extend the team's lead to five runs. 
 
Relief pitcher Goewey took over the remaining four innings and allowed no runs on just one hit, striking out seven and walking none to help fuel the win. 
 
The Saints and Mountaineers will conclude the three-game series at noon Saturday.