BELLEROSE, N.Y. - The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) softball team (17-13, 2-0 HVIAC) remained in first place in the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with a sweep over Yeshiva University (3-11, 1-1 HVIAC) on Friday.
Reaching a season-high offensive output, the Lady Bears won a game-one shootout 19-11. In game two, St. Joseph's blanked the Maccabees 12-0 to finish off the sweep.
The Lady Bears kicked off the opener with a four-run first, making use of three walks, a sacrifice fly and a pair of defensive miscues to manufacture the rally. Freshman Destiny Marino (Middle Village, N.Y./Christ the King) provided the only hit of the inning, a two-out, run-scoring single up the middle.
Yeshiva quickly responded in the bottom half of the inning by cutting the deficit in half. Junior Rachel Mirsky ripped an RBI double to get the Maccabees on the board and senior Kayla Applebaum followed up with a run-scoring single to make it 4-2.
After tacking on one run in the second, the Lady Bears erupted for a six-hit, seven-run third inning to put Yeshiva back on their heels. Freshman Theresa Armano (Middle Village, N.Y./St. Francis Prep), senior Shannon Rom (Breezy Point, N.Y./Bishop Kearney), freshman Maria Gentile (Brooklyn, N.Y./Fontbonne Hall) and senior Cassandra Molinari (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) all provided RBI singles in the game-changing inning.
After Yeshiva rallied for four runs in the bottom of the third to inch closer, St. Joseph's answered with another seven-run outburst to put the dagger in the hearts of their opponent. Junior Maria Randazzo (Brooklyn, N.Y./Fontbonne Hall) and Armano highlighted the inning with a pair of two-RBI singles.
Yeshiva scraped together five more runs in the fifth, but St. Joseph's season-high 19-run output proved too much to overcome.
Molinari finished with a game-high four RBI at the plate. Adding to her 2-for-2, three-RBI performance with the bat, Armano also tossed her eleventh complete game in the circle to improve to 9-6 on the season.
The Lady Bears stayed on the attack in game two, plating a run in every inning but the first.
Marino got St. Joseph's on the board with an RBI single in the top of the second. The Lady Bears clutched control of the game with a five-run third inning, capped by sophomore Geena Campisi's (Howard Beach, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) two-RBI single through the right side.
Marino then highlighted a four-run fourth with a bases clearing double and St. Joseph's added two more in the fifth to finish off a 31-run performance today.
Sophomore Jamilynn McGowan (Staten Island, N.Y./Michael J. Petrides) tossed a complete-game shutout in game two to improve to 7-7, while Marino finished with a game-high four RBI.
On Sunday, No. 10 St. Joseph's will host No. 5 Briarcliffe College (N.Y.) for a significant late-season United States Collegiate Athletic Association meeting and will also celebrate Senior Day for seniors Cassandra Molinari, Jackie Perillo and Shannon Rom. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. with live stats available at SJCBears.com. The twin bill will be followed by an Alumni Game at 5 p.m.
