CHARLESTON, SC – Siena Softball officially took the field to begin its 49^th varsity season on Friday, kicking off five weekend matches at the CSU Kickoff Tournament in Charleston South Carolina. The Saints (0-2) dropped a tight 2-1 decision to first-time foe Bellarmine before falling, 4-1, to Saint Francis (PA) at the CSU Softball Complex.

Bellarmine 2, Siena 1

Taking the field in the Palmetto State for the first time since 2010 following the cancellation of last year's scheduled tournament due to weather, the Saints stranded the bases loaded defensively in the first, but Bellarmine came through with an RBI single and a sacrifice fly in the second to get on the board. Graduate student pitcher Nicole Patille took the ball for the Green and Gold in the third and struck out six in four shutout innings of play to set the Saints up for a chance to rebound late in the game.

Junior Madi Silber led off the top of the seventh with a single to center for Siena, and as pinch ran for by junior Emmalynn Skaff, who advanced to second and was then pushed to third on a single from senior Mikala Fletcher. Skaff then scored when Fletcher stole second, but not one more run would score, as Fletcher was out at home after advancing to third.

Both teams registered five hits in the season-opener, with Silber going a perfect 3-3 for the Green and Gold. Redshirt sophomore Alissa Eimont (0-1) took the loss with two earned runs given up on three hits in two innings, while Bellarmine's Claire Lehmkuhler (1-0) took a complete-game win with six strikeouts.

Saint Francis (PA) 4, Siena 1

Siena's first battle with the Red Flash since 2012 featured a first-inning 2 RBI single from the opposition to immediately put them up in the bottom of the first. Saint Francis (PA) extended the lead with an RBI double in the third and another in the fifth before Siena finally got on the board with an RBI single from Fletcher that scored Silber in the seventh.

Siena stranded three runners including one in the seventh, while Saint Francis held a 6-4 hits advantage, with Silber again recording a multi-hit outing (2-3) with the long run scored. Freshman pitcher Gracie Goewey (0-1) struck out four while giving up three earned runs over as many innings for the loss, while classmate Hailey Francois struck out one and gave up the final run in three frames of relief.

The Saints will return to action in search of their first win of the season on Saturday, February 10, with a rematch against Bellarmine scheduled for 10 AM and a first-time meeting against host Charleston Southern on-tap for 3 PM.