It was not a good end to the weekend for the Quinnipiac softball team, as it was swept by the Siena Saints Sunday afternoon. The Saints walked off the Bobcats in game one, before defeating Quinnipiac 4-2 in the second half of the MAAC doubleheader. 

Following the sweep, Quinnipiac drops to 3-7 in conference play, as the Bobcats have now lost eight of their 11 games in April.

Siena opened the scoring early in game one. After the Bobcats went down in order in the top of the first, Saints junior outfielder Isabella Pardo started the hosts’ half of the inning with a single, before advancing to second on a throwing error by Quinnipiac graduate student catcher Hannah Davis.

Two batters later, Pardo came into score on a single to right by graduate student outfielder Ava Fitzmaurice. The New York native’s impact on the inning didn’t stop with the RBI, as she stole second on the ensuing at-bat and an error by freshman infielder Natalia Apatiga allowed another runner to score. Fitzmaurice then touched home herself on a sac-fly from freshman infielder Emma Petersen, as the hosts stretched their lead to three. 

Quinnipiac sophomore pitcher Sydney Horan settled in after the first inning explosion, facing just seven batters in the next two innings. However, the Bobcat offense was silent as the Saints continued to lead 3-0 after three. 

An RBI double down the left field line from junior outfielder Mikala Fletcher increased the Saints’ lead to four in the bottom of the fourth inning. 

Horan continued to get no run support from her teammates well into the fifth inning, but that all changed in the sixth.

After just three hits in the first five innings, the Bobcats were able to erase the zero under the runs column in the sixth. Davis redeemed her error in the opening inning with a single, and then came all the way around from first to touch home on a momentum-shifting double off the bat of graduate student infielder Bridget Nasir which cut the deficit to three. The Bobcats loaded the base following back-to-back walks, bringing the go-ahead run to the plate. However, freshman infielder Sofia Vega couldn’t come through for the Bobcats, as she popped out to end the inning. 

Horan put down the Saints in order in the bottom half of the inning, and Quinnipiac headed to the seventh needing three runs to keep the game going. 

The Bobcats got their rally started with a leadoff single from freshman outfielder Mary Fogg.  Sophomore infielder Brooke Hilliard then reached on an error, advancing to second on the play and moving Fogg over to third, and suddenly Quinnipiac was bringing the tying run to the plate. 

Davis laid down a bunt, the Saints’ throw home was late, and the deficit was cut to two with runners on first and third and still no outs. Senior infielder Lala Pascual tried to do the same thing, but this time Siena made the play, tagging Hilliard out at the plate. Two batters later, it was Nasir, again, who got it done when it mattered most. Her double in the right-center gap allowed two Bobcats to come sprinting home and tie the game. 

Quinnipiac wasn’t able to muster any more runs in the top of the inning, allowing the hosts to win it with just one run. 

Sophomore outfielder McKenzie Swinson opened the inning with a single, before stealing second on the ensuing at-bat. Swinson would then advance to third on a ground-out, putting the Saints in prime position to win the game. Redshirt junior infielder Diana Parker came in to pinch hit, and she got the job done, pushing the ball down the first base line to bring in Swinson and win the game.

The Saints carried the momentum from their walk-off win in game one, into game two.

Just like the first game, the Saints jumped out to an early lead. Petersen opened the second inning with a leadoff single. The Arizona product then moved over to second on a walk and then third on a ground out to second.

Sophomore infielder Ashley Giampolo proceeded to drive in Petersen and another Saint on a base hit down the left-field line to open the scoring. Petersen advanced to second on the throw home, and then third on a wild pitch. Parker, hot off her walk-off, skied a sac-fly into the outfield, allowing Giampolo to increase the Saints’ lead to 3-0. 

Siena senior infielder Shannon Bonewit’s RBI double in the third pushed another run across the plate, as the Saints took a commanding four-run advantage.

Just like game one, the Bobcats headed to the sixth in a deep-hole and quiet bats. Hilliard got the bats going in sixth with a single, and Apatiga drove her in later in the inning.

However, the Bobcats still needed three runs in the seventh. Unlike game one, there was no comeback in sight for Quinnipiac, as the Bobcats got just one run across the board and dropped their third-straight game.

The Bobcats dug themselves a deeper hole in the conference standings, as Quinnipiac will need to string together some wins soon with just over a month remaining until the conference tournament.

Quinnipiac returns to action on April 20 when it travels to North Andover, Massachusetts for a non-conference matchup with Merrimack. First pitch is set for 3 p.m.