FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — After eight-and-a-half scoreless innings, the No. 3 St. Joseph's University, N.Y. (Brooklyn) softball team broke the deadlock in the bottom of the ninth inning to defeat No. 6 seed College of Mount Saint Vincent, 1-0, on Tuesday evening in the first round of the 2023 Skyline Conference Softball Championship.

How it Happened

Despite neither side tallying more than two hits in a single inning, both squads were presented with opportunities to break the game open. However, starting pitchers Brooke Horn (Lakeside, Calif./El Capitan) and Savannah Autobee kept their opponents off the board.

The contest was notable for the strong defensive performances which helped maintain the stalemate. This included a diving catch in foul territory and a lineout on consecutive pitches in the sixth inning to Autumn Poppett (San Diego, Calif./Mission Hills) as well as Dolphin left fielder Sierra Romero's full-extension grab to prevent an SJBK extra-base hit, all of which occurred in the sixth inning.

In the bottom of the ninth, Sofia Logreco (San Diego, Calif./Mission Hills) hit a grounder to the CMSV shortstop who botched a throw to her third baseman in an attempt to get the lead runner out, allowing Arianna Heinsch (Brooklyn, N.Y./Fontbonne Hall Academy) to score the game-winning run.

For the Bears

• Heinsch went 2-for-4 and scored the game's lone run.

• Poppett, Audrey Scott (Rocklin, Calif./Whitney), and Emily Burroughs (Escondido, Calif./San Pasqual) all had singles on the evening.

• Horn tossed her ninth shutout this season, improving to 12-4. She struck out five bats.

Up Next

The double-elimination portion of the Skyline Conference Softball Championship begins on Thursday, May 11 when the Bears face No. 2 seed Farmingdale State College from the campus of top-seeded Manhattanville College. The contest is slated to begin at 3 p.m. with live stats and video available on sjbkathletics.com/live.