Siena and Iona Win on Day One of the 2019 MAAC Softball Championship

5/8/2019 4:59:32 PM

No. 3 Siena College – 1 | No. 6 Fairfield University - 0
2019 MAAC Softball Championship - Day One
Softball Park at Gartland Athletic Field | Poughkeepsie, NY
Siena (22-23) defeated Fairfield (26-23) by a final score of 1-0 to advance to the second round of the winner’s bracket in the 2019 MAAC Softball Championship. Thanks to strong pitching performances, one run was all the Saints needed to secure the victory. The Saints will move on to play No. 2 Monmouth University (33-16) tomorrow at 11:30 a.m., while the Stags will play No. 5 Niagara in the elimination bracket tomorrow at 9:00 a.m.

Siena Notes

The lone run for the Saints came off of Amanda Dodson’s third inning RBI single
Jess Vollmer represented the winning run for Siena
Brooke Hughes started the game for the Saints in the circle, allowing two hits over 3.0 innings, striking out one
Maddie McMahon finished the game for Siena, going 4.0 innings of scoreless ball while allowing two hits and striking out six to collect the win
The win marks the first time in program history the Saints have advanced in the MAAC Softball Championship from the winner’s bracket

Fairfield Notes

The Stags collected hits from Amanda Ulzheimer, Lauryn Rhinehart, Cynthia Meringer, and Madison Robicheau
Rhinehart pitched all six innings for Fairfield, limiting Siena to only one run on two hits
Rhinehart collected four strikeouts on the loss
Fairfield left four runners on base
The Stags move to the elimination bracket, where they must win out from this point on to capture the MAAC title

No. 4 Iona College – 10 | No. 5 Niagara University - 7
2019 MAAC Softball Championship - Day One
Softball Park at Gartland Athletic Field | Poughkeepsie, NY
Iona (19-25) took down Niagara (15-31) 10-7 in walk off fashion to advance in the 2019 MAAC Softball Championship winners’ bracket. After allowing the Purple Eagles to come back from a four-run deficit, the Gaels were able to steal the win on a grand slam off the bat of Hailey Thompson in the bottom of the seventh. Iona will move on to play No. 1 Marist (33-20) tomorrow at 2:00 p.m., while Niagara will face Fairfield in tomorrow’s 9:00 a.m. elimination game.

Iona Notes

Iona started early with a three-run bases clearing double off the bat of Ciarra Diguilio in the first inning
The Gaels tacked on another run from a Natalia Meray RBI single in the second to take a 4-0 lead
Jasmine Temple hit a solo home run in the fifth to increase the lead to 5-3
Jessica Chilcott had an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh to cut the Gaels’ deficit to 7-6
Hailey Thompson hit the game-winning grand slam in the bottom of the seventh to propel Iona to the next round
Marnie Skinner is credited with the win for the Gaels
Diguilio led the team in hits, going 3-4

Niagara Notes

Niagara’s first score came off a three-run home run from Kendall Watkins in the fourth inning
Maria Gabriele started Niagara’s sixth inning rally with a RBI double to cut the lead to 5-4
Heather Haberman’s three-run home run capped the fourth inning rally to give the Purple Eagles a 7-5 lead
Sierra Bertrand pitched 5.0 innings for Niagara, giving up four earned runs on eight hits
Jenna Patterson grabbed a single seventh
The Purple Eagles move to the elimination bracket, where they must win out from this point on to capture the MAAC title

The 2019 MAAC Softball Championship takes place May 8-11 and is hosted by top seeded Marist. For more information on the 2019 Softball Championship, visit maacsports.com/softball. Championship tickets can be purchased at maacsports.com/tickets and will also be sold on-site during the championship.

About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 38^th year of competition during the 2018-19 academic year. Current Conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.