POMONA, NY – The first Siena Baseball postseason appearance in four years came to an end on Wednesday with a pair of losses at the MAAC Baseball Championships at Clover Stadium. No. 5 seed Quinnipiac edged the fourth-seeded Saints 7-6 in a thriller, while No. 7 seed Marist prevailed over Siena 12-2 in an elimination game.
#5 Quinnipiac 7, #4 Siena 6
Quinnipiac (28-24-1) rallied with three in the ninth to prevail in a wild finish which saw the squads exchange leads in three consecutive half innings late.
First Team All-MAAC selection
Alistair Morin battled through 120 pitches and pitched through six walks, allowing just three hits and two runs (one earned) while striking out seven over seven solid innings of work.
A two-run
Nick Bergamotto home run staked Siena (22-32) to a 2-1 lead in the second which they would hold through six.
The Bobcats knotted the score at two-all in the seventh on a Kyle Garbowski two-out RBI single, before pushing across a pair to reclaim a 4-2 lead in the eighth.
However, in the home half of the inning, the first three reached base safely and
Owen Pincince brought them all home with an electric grand slam to put the Saints back on top 6-4.
But Quinnipiac would strike last, rallying again with a decisive three-run ninth. With two out and two on, consecutive walks forced home a run. Cole Constable then delivered the game-winning two-run single to send the Bobcats through to a matchup with top-seeded Rider Thursday at 3 p.m.
Gavin Thorburn had three hits for Siena which played Quinnipiac to another MAAC Tournament thriller. All three postseason matchups between the programs have now been decided by one run each in the ninth inning or later.
#7 Marist 12, #4 Siena 2
Noel Rivera homered and knocked in four runs as part of a three-hit effort for Marist (25-27) which advances to another elimination game Thursday at 7 p.m.
Tyler Hartley hurled six shutout innings for the Red Foxes who defeated the Saints for the third time in four tries in less than a week.
A two-run home run by Rivera staked the Red Foxes to a 3-0 lead in the third, who then put it out of reach with a six-run sixth. Each of the top-five hitters in the Marist order recorded multi-hit efforts as part of a 12-hit barrage.
Aidan Paradine registered two of the five hits for Siena which scored both its runs in the eighth to wrap the scoring.
Although not the ending they hoped for, the Saints laid the foundation for a bright future following a program rebirth this spring. Siena finishes with 22 wins – a 10-win improvement from last season and its most wins in nine years – while the 17 league victories equaled the 2014 MAAC Championship squad for the highest total in 20 years.
