LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. - The Niagara softball team (9-24, 2-4 MAAC) dropped a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference doubleheader to the Siena Saints (18-21, 6-2 MAAC) on Friday afternoon.
"Today we endured two tough losses," head coach
Al Dirschberger said. "We have to do a better job of swinging the bat and pushing runs across the plate."
Siena 6, Niagara 1
After Siena took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on a Jessika-Jo Sandrini double, the Purple Eagles would knot the game up in the top of the fourth inning. Sophomore
Jessica Hitchcock led off the frame with a single, successfully extending her hit streak to five games and her on base safely streak to nine games. A sacrifice play by junior
Becky Zill moved Hitchcock over to second base, scoring on a single by senior
Jennifer Hare.
The Saints pulled away in game one by scoring five runs between the fourth inning and the sixth inning, highlighted by a home run by Sandrini.
Siena 2, Niagara 0
The second game of the doubleheader was a tight contest, with one hit between Niagara and Siena through the opening three innings of play. Sophomore
Kim Bryson was pitching well for Niagara, allowing no runs and one hit, while fanning seven batters in the opening three innings.
The Saints would push two runs home in the bottom of the fourth inning, a result of doubles by Nastasha Powlowsky and Megan Volz. Volz would steal third base and scored after the throw to third base ended up in left field.
Bryson finished the game giving up two runs on four hits, while earning a career-high 15 strikeouts. Bryson's 15 strikeout performance tied Niagara's Single-Game Strikeouts record, set by
Joni Sontrop in 1998.
The Ohio native now has 121 strikeouts on the season, eight behind Sontrop for second place on Niagara's Single-Season strikeouts list. Sontrop owns the record with 178 whiffs during the 1998 season. Eight more strikeouts will also put Bryson in a tie with
Brooke Viola (243) for fourth place on Niagara's Career Strikeouts list.
The Purple Eagles are back in action on Saturday, when they take on the Marist Red Foxes in a conference doubleheader, beginning at noon.
