Emily Palmieri's two grand slams help lead St. Joseph's Brooklyn into postseason

Palmieri Action.jpgSt. Joseph's College first baseman and St. John Villa product Emily Palmieri blasted not one but two grand slams in the HVWAC Invitational last week.

A lot of things have to go right for a player to hit a grand slam.

So imagine the circumstances for St. Joseph's College of Brooklyn first baseman Emily Palmieri, when she blasted two grand slams on the same day -- one in an 11-1 win over College of New Rochelle and another in a 10-0 win over College of Notre Dame (Md.) -- to help St. Joseph's take the Hudson Valley Women's Athletic Conference Invitational Tournament.

"When I went up there (the first time) my coach just told me to swing away and I just saw it and hit it," said Palmieri, a St. John Villa product. "The second time, it didn't cross my mind. I mean, what are the odds of hitting two grand slams? But after the second one, everyone was going crazy."

The Bears have posted an impressive 26-9-1 record and earned a berth in the USCAA National Championships in Akron, Ohio, beginning Saturday.

Palmieri Grand Slam.jpgThe Bears greet Palmieri (5) at the plate after one of er grand slams. Moore Catholic product Alyson Chiaramonte (center, holding helmet) is the squad's ace pitcher.

Palmieri and fellow Staten Islander Alyson Chiaramonte (Moore Catholic) have been big reasons why. Palmieri is leading the team with three homers and 30 RBI and Chiaramonte has a team-high .448 batting average, 47 hits and 39 runs in 35 games.

Chiaramonte owns a pitching record of 15-2 and a 1.00 ERA allowing just 69 hits while striking out 139 and walking 11 in 105 innings. She was just named Association of Division III Independent Schools Softball Player of the Week and Hudson Valley Women's Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week.

The sixth-seeded Bears will play No. 3 Southern Virginia on Saturday.

"We have a great team this year," said Palmieri, who played against Chiaramonte in high school. "We went to Nationals last year and lost in the first round, but we want to win it. Everyone can hit 1 through 9 and when Aly is on the mound, all we have to do is play defense and avoid the errors."

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