NEW ROCHELLE, NY - The mighty bat of
Emma Petersen, and the arm of 2024 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championships MVP
Alissa Eimont pushed Siena Softball through a pair of elimination games, and into the program's second consecutive MAAC Championships Series. Siena topped #2 Fairfield 6-5, before turning right around to beat #6 Rider 1-0 from Donald E. Walsh Field at Rice Oval on the campus of Iona University.
Siena will now head back to Poughkeepsie, NY, to take on top-seeded Marist in the MAAC Championship Series. Game one is set to begin at 9 a.m., with the "if necessary" game to follow approximately 25 minutes following the conclusion of the first game.
#4 Siena 6, #2 Fairfield 5
Megan Klein opened the game by reaching on an infield single, but she was left stranded at second base as
Gracie Goewey took the circle to face the Stags in the bottom half of the first. There, the sophomore worked around a two-out single to set Fairfield down and move into the second.
Following a quiet third from both sides - as well as top three from Siena - the Stags threatened in the bottom of the third with runners on first and second with one out, and Second Team All-MAAC Anna Paravati at the plate. An infield fly and error advanced the runners, but the next batter - Delaney Whieldon - chopped a ball deep to short, beating it out and allowing both runners to score for a 2-0 lead.
The Saints wasted little time responding, however.
Chloe Cummings led off the fourth with a single, while
Emma Petersen stepped in and belted a two-run home run over right-center field to tie the game at 2-2. Siena then struck for its first lead in the fifth when Cummings doubled in
McKenzie Swinson for one run, while Goewey wore a pitch with the bases loaded to push the lead to 4-2.
Fairfield got one run back in the bottom half when a base hit to the outfield allowed Sylvestre to advance to third base, but an error on the relay sent her home for the Stags' third unearned run of the contest.
Siena added two insurance runs in the top of the seventh on a two-RBI infield single to second off the bat of
Carlie Venables. The runs proved important as the Stags came back with two, two-out runs in the bottom of the innings - and had runners on second and third when
Alissa Eimont came in for the one-out save. With the bases eventually loaded up, Eimont struck out the final out to move Siena into the elimination final.
#4 Siena 1, #6 Rider 0
The Broncs loaded the bases with one out to open the game, but the experience of
Alissa Eimont paid off in the situation. The redshirt junior forced a groundout to home, then a flyout to left to escape the jam.
Siena had its first quality chance of the game in the third, but
Megan Klein was stranded at third after leading off the inning wearing a pitch.
Eimont cruised through the fourth, but ran into some trouble in the fifth. As she has done throughout her career, the righty stayed composed and stranded the threatening runner at third base to keep the game scoreless.
The big blow finally came in the bottom of the sixth. Just as she had done in game one,
Emma Petersen led off the sixth inning and belted a solo home run to right field to hand Siena a 1-0 lead. And that was all that was needed.
EImont came back out for the seventh and, despite giving up a leadoff hit, retired the next three batters to send the Saints back to the MAAC Championship Series.
