March 2

Men’s Volleyball @ Olivet, 3-0 W

The men’s volleyball team swept Olivet College 3-0 in dominating fashion following set scores of 25-12, 25-9, and 25-13. John Kalugar led the Saints with 21 digs, while Arthur Gwoszdz contributed three aces in the win.

March 5

Women’s Track & Field @ NAIA Indoor Championships, Fourth Place

The women’s track & field team finished fourth in the NAIA Indoor Championships in Johnson City, Tenn. The following Saints were named NAIA All-Americans in their efforts: Stephanie Marquardt (first place, 60m hurdles, 8.50 seconds), Marissa Johnson (third, high jump, 1.71m) Phoenix Duncan (fourth, high jump, 1.68m), Haley Hudson (fourth, shotput, 14.06m), Kasey Renshaw (first, weight throw, 21.20m & eighth, shotput, 13.67m), Rebecca Cousineau (third, weight throw, 18.49m), Madison Pierce (second, long jump, 5.66m), Tasha McKinley (fourth, pole vault, 3.67m). Renshaw’s first place weight throw of 21.20m also set a new NAIA Indoor National Championships record.

Men’s Track & Field @ NAIA Indoor Championships, Fourth Place

The men’s track & field team finished fourth in the NAIA Indoor Championships in Johnson City, Tenn. The following Saints were named NAIA All-Americans in their efforts: Gerald Richardson (third, high jump, 6-10.75), Tre’ Goynes (seventh, high jump, 6-8.25), Richard DePalma (first, pole vault, 5.10m), Dominic Muessig (first, 800m run, 1:53.11), Brent Rodden (fifth, 800m run, 1:55.18), Zakary Haines (fourth, 400m dash, 48.56 seconds), Frederick Boyd (fourth, 60m hurdles, 8.24 seconds), and the 4X400m team of  Haines, Joshua Miles, Juarrezz Smith and Muessig (fourth, 4X400m relay, 3:14.79).

Softball @ Tucson Invitational Games, 1-0 L & 4-3 L

The softball team had a rough start to the Tucson Invitational Games, losing both of their opening contests by one run. Their first loss came to Great Falls (Mont.) by a final score of 1-0, where Skylar Crenshaw produced some of the Saints only offensive production with a double. The second loss came to Northwest (Wash.), where the Saints couldn’t hold on to an early 1-0 lead. Kenya Keller led the Saints going 3-4 with two RBI’s.

Men’s Lacrosse vs. Missouri Baptist

The men’s lacrosse team had their way with Missouri Baptist, winning by a final score of 13-7. Tom Kreitzer led the Saints offensively with six goals, while goalie Tyler Hooper recorded 13 saves in 60 minutes of action.

March 6

Softball @ Tucson Invitational Games, 8-4 W & 10-2 W

Following a 0-2 outing on Saturday, the Saints rebounded nicely with back-to-back wins Sunday in the Tucson Invitational Games in Tucson, Ariz. In their first game, Keller came in clutch once again going 3-4 from the plate with 3 RBI, a run scored and a homerun in the Saints 10-2 win over Purdue North Central. In game two, the Saints defeated Ashford (Iowa) 8-4 behind 2-3 game from Megan Jones.

March 7

Softball @ Tucson Invitational Games, 9-4 L & 8-2 W

After going 0-2 Saturday and responding 2-0 Sunday, the Saints split a pair going 1-1 Monday at the Tucson Invitational Games. The Saints dropped their opening contest by a score of 9-4 to Concordia (Neb.) Four errors proved costly for the Saints as no run production came until the top of the fifth when the Saints were already down 6-0. In the second game, the Saints rebounded nicely in an 8-2 win over Missouri Valley. Kenya Keller got the Saints going with a homerun on the first pitch of the game and the Saints never looked back, scoring in every inning except the fifth.

Men’s Lacrosse vs. Reinhardt (Ga.), 8-5 L

The second-ranked men’s lacrosse team ran into a bump against third-ranked Reinhardt (Ga.), losing 8-5 in a low-scoring contest. Reinhardt had an 8-1 advantage in the fourth quarter before the Saints rallied off four straight goals to make it 8-5, but time expired as the Saints suffered their second loss of the season. John Holowaty led the Saints offensively with two goals.

Baseball vs. Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio), 2-1 W

The Siena Heights men’s baseball team opened the season with a thrilling 2-1 walk-off win against Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio). The Saints had a 1-0 lead entering the ninth, but Mount Vernon tied the game at 1-1 heading into the bottom half of the inning. With the bases loaded, Daniel Mueller recorded a hit that brought Travis Stricklin home for the win.

Women’s Lacrosse @ Centre (Ky.), 17-2 L

Centre (Ky.) had their way with Siena Heights to open up the lacrosse season, as the Saints were overwhelmed by a final score of 17-2. 11 first half goals for Centre compared to one for the Saints ultimately set the mood for the rest of the game. Sabrina Snow and Alysa Grove were the lone scorers for the Saints, while goalie Tabitha Ferguson stopped 10 shots in the net.

March 8

Baseball vs. Trinity Christian (Ill.), 4-3 W

The Saints had their second thrilling one-run victory in as many days, this time defeating Trinity Christian (Ill.) 4-3 to get off to a strong 2-0 start to the season. Trinity scored three runs in the opening inning and the score remained unchanged until the top of the seventh, where the Saints rallied off four straight runs with their backs against the wall to secure the victory. Freddy Jehle led the Saints, going 4-4 from the plate. Justin McPherson earned the win from the mound, pitching the final two scoreless defensive innings for the Saints.

Men’s Lacrosse vs. Palm Beach Atlantic (Fla.), 10-9 L

The men’s lacrosse team lost an absolute nail bitter to Palm Beach Atlantic (Fla.) by a final score of 10-9. Palm Beach had a 7-6 advantage heading into the fourth, but all the Saints could do was match their goal count in the closing minutes to lose by one. Danny Orr led the Saints with two goals in the loss.

Softball @ Tucson Invitational Games, 4-2 L & 15-11 L

The softball team dropped both of their decisions March 8 in two very different contests. In their first match, the Saints lost a high scoring game to Jamestown by a final score of 15-11. The Saints go off to a strong start, taking a 7-0 lead after the first inning, but their pitching couldn’t hold on, giving up 10 runs in the fifth in the eventual loss. In their second match, the Saints lost to Presentation (S.D.) by a low final score of 4-2. Once again, the Saints were unable to hold on to a lead, this time leading 2-0 heading into the final three innings where they gave up four unanswered runs to Presentation.

March 10

Softball @ Tucson Invitational Games, 4-3 L & 6-5 L

The Siena Heights softball team dropped to 3-7 on the year after another pair of close losses, this time each by a single run. In their first game, the Saint lost to William Penn (Iowa) 4-3 in a game that the Saints fought back down 3-1 to tie 3-3 in the top of the seventh, only to give up a walk-off hit in the bottom half of the inning. In game two, the Saints lost to Saint Francis (Ill.) 6-5 by walk-off fashion once again. The Saints had 5-3 advantage heading into the bottom half of the seventh before surrendering three runs in the walk-off loss.

Baseball @ Warner Tournament (Fla.), 14-9 L & 7-0 W

The Siena Heights baseball team split a pair in the Fla. Warner Tournament. Their first loss of the season came at the hands of Spring Arbor, where the Saints couldn’t contain the high power offense of their opposition in a 14-9 loss. The Saints got right back on the winning track, however, with a 7-0 shutout win over Saint Francis (Ind.). Travis Stricklin led the way offensively against Saint Francis with two doubles, while Justin McPherson pitched the first five innings of the game in route to a win.

Women’s Lacrosse vs. Missouri Baptist, 10-6 W

After a rough opening day game, the women’s lacrosse team rebounded nicely with a 10-6 win over Missouri Baptist. Aliisa Mason led the Saints offensively in the win with four goals, while Haley Parker recorded two assists. Defensively, Tabitha Ferguson recorded six saves.

March 11

Softball @ Tucson Invitational Games, 2-1 L & 6-4 W

The softball team finally got back in the win column after splitting a pair of games 1-1 in yet two more close contests. The first game against Dordt broke the losing streak for the Saints, as a five run first inning was enough for the Saints to hold on a 6-4 win. In game two, the Saints suffered a close loss to the hands of Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) by a final score of 2-1. Cardinal Stritch had a 2-0 lead entering the bottom of the fourth and the Saints could only manufacture one run of offense for the remainder of the game.

Baseball @ Warner Tournament (Fla.), 7-1 L & 3-2 L

The baseball team hit their first bump in the young season, dropping back-to-back contests in the Florida Warner Tournament. In their first game, the Saints fell 7-1 to Thomas (Ga.). The game was close throughout with the Saints only trailing 2-1 before Thomas scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth to propel them to the eventual 7-1 defeat of SHU. The second game was much closer, as the Saints allowed Warner to score twice in the top of the final inning to put themselves down 3-2 in an eventual loss.

Women’s Lacrosse vs. Saint Mary (Kan.), 18-8 W

The women’s lacrosse team had an offensive outburst in their 18-8 win over Saint Mary (Kan.). Sabrina Snow tallied four goals in the win, while Aliisa Mason, Kayla Parks, and Taylor Swartz also chipped in three goals of their own. Defensively, goalie Tabitha Ferguson had seven saves.

March 12

Women’s Bowling @ USBC Sectionals, 13^th out of 15

The Siena Heights women’s bowling team concluded their season finishing 13^th out of 15 teams at the USBC Sectionals qualifier in Stratford, N.J. The top four teams in each of the four sectional qualifiers advanced to USBC Nationals in April for a chance to compete for the Kerm Helmer Cup, college bowling’s national championship trophy. After the completion of 64 total baker games, the Saints were 1,419 pins behind fourth place Emmanuel (Mass.).

Men’s Bowling @ USBC Sectionals, 12^th out of 17

The Siena Heights men’s bowling team concluded their season finishing 12^th out of 17 teams at the USBC Sectionals qualifier in Stratford, N.J. The top four teams in each of the four sectional qualifiers advanced to USBC Nationals in April for a chance to compete for the Kerm Helmer Cup, college bowling’s national championship trophy. After the completion of 64 total baker games, the Saints were 1,383 pins behind fourth place William Patterson (N.J.).

Softball @ Tucson Invitational Games, 6-5 W & 11-2 L

The Siena Heights softball team wrapped up their spring break trip to Arizona with a split to finish the outing with a 4-9 record before returning to SHU. Game one was against Oliver Nazarene (Ill.), where the Saints quickly fell behind 6-0 halfway through the fourth inning on their way to an unrecoverable loss. In their second game, the Saints left Arizona on a good note, defeating Mt. Marty by a final score of 6-5. A four-run sixth inning by the Saints gave SHU a 6-4 lead they were able to hang on to end the trip on a win.

Baseball vs. Mount Vernon Nazarene, 1-0 W

A shutout pitching performance by pitcher Brent Vaccaro helped propel the Siena Heights baseball team to a slim 1-0 victory over Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio). Vaccaro recorded five strikeouts and only one walk over seven innings of play in route to the win. Travis Stricklin had the lone RBI for the Saints, hitting an RBI double in the top of the fourth to send Joe Williams home in what would be the eventual winning run.

Men’s Volleyball vs. Davenport, 3-0 W & St. Xavier (Ill.), 3-0 W

With many teams traveling over spring break, the Siena Heights men’s volleyball team had a double-header on their home court against Davenport and St. Xavier in which they swept both opponents 3-0. The Saints defeated Davenport by set scores of 25-14, 25-20, and 25-18 thanks in large part to nine kills for Tyler Hubbard-Neil. In their second match, the Saints defeated St. Xavier by set scores of 25-13, 25-19, and 25-22. Hubbard-Neil was once again the difference maker, this time recording 13 kills in the win.

Women’s Lacrosse vs. Lindenwood-Belleville (Ill.), 19-5 W

After a disappointing season opener, the women’s lacrosse team continued their winning ways, this time extending their winning streak to three with a 19-5 win over Lindenwood-Belleville (Ill.). 11 second-half goals helped propel the Saints to the blowout victory. Kayla Parks recorded 12 groundballs in the win and Tabitha Ferguson saved three shots in goal.

March 13

Men’s Lacrosse vs. Robert Morris (Ill.), 12-8 W

The Siena Heights men’s lacrosse team earned a 12-8 non-conference victory over Robert Morris (Ill.) despite a third quarter surge from RMU in which the Saints were outscored 5-3. Spencer Macek led the Saints with three goals, while Tyler Hooper saved six shots in goal.

March 15

Baseball vs. Indiana Wesleyan, 3-2 W & 4-1 W

In their first game back from Florida, the Siena Heights baseball team racked up back-to-back wins in double header fashion against Indiana Wesleyan. In game one, Siena Heights rode their momentum from a four run third inning on their way to a 4-1 victory. Game two was much more intense, as the game extended all the way to the 11^th inning in a 2-2 tie. In the bottom of the 11^th, Joe Williams hit a single to left field to bring home Freddy Jehle in walk-off fashion.