Lady Bears Capture First Place in Gallaudet Invitational Softball Tournament

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) After weather forced the cancellation of day two of play, tournament hosts Gallaudet University selected St. Joseph's College women's softball in first place of the 2009 Softball Bison Invitational.  The Lady Bears went 2-0 on day one, with a 10-1 victory over host Gallaudet and a 15-2 victory over Lincoln University, both in five innings.

Freshman Alyson Chiaramonte(Staten Island, NY/Moore Catholic) led St. Joseph's from the plate and the mound, batting .667 (6-for-9), slugging 1.000, with a home run, six RBIs and five runs scored.  On the mound, Chiaramonte pitched a complete game two-hitter giving up only one earned run and striking out seven in the win over Gallaudet.

Freshman Lisa Scheer(Queens, NY/Mary Louis) also had a fantastic week hitting .667 (2-for-3), slugging 1.000 and an on-base percentage of .875.   She drove in three runs, scoring twice, with a double, five walks and one stolen base.  Scheer also pitched a complete game four-hitter giving up two earned runs and striking out seven in the win over Lincoln.

Senior Theresa Mendez (Queens, NY/St. Francis Prep) had two hits with a double, four runs scored, an RBI and a stolen base.  Caitlyn Kakavas (Queens, NY/St. Agnes) score five runs, drove in two, with a double, five walks and a stolen base.  Jen Safi (Brooklyn, NY/Bishop Kearney) drew six walks, scoring four times and stealing two bases.

The tournament start was delayed due to rain affecting the field condition.  Gallaudet had tried to cancel the tournament, but St. Joseph's assisted in getting an alternate field on campus ready for play.  As a result of the delay, St. Joseph's faced Gallaudet in game one, not St. Paul's as originally scheduled.

When play began, the Lady Bears sent 13 batters to the plate in the opening frame, scoring seven on three hits.  Gallaudet starting pitcher Kallie Williamshad trouble with her control in the wet conditions walking six in the inning, including three in a row that led to three Lady Bear runs.  Kakavas highlighted the inning with a double that scored Safi for the first run of the game.  The Lady Bears added a run in the second inning that put them over the eight run threshold.

Chiaramonte gave up her only run in the fourth, experiencing some control issues walking four straight.  Chiaramonte got the run back in the fifth with a two run homer to left that extended the lead to 10-1.

Facing division II opponent Lincoln University in the second game, the Lady Bears were the beneficiary of seven walks from starting pitcher Britny Adamsin the first inning that led to four runs without any hits.  Adams was replaced in the second inning, but the outcome remained the same as the Lady Bears scored an additional 10 runs off the Lincoln relievers, connecting for seven hits and drawing 13 walks.

Lincoln scored two runs in the first inning off starting pitcher Scheer, but she kept the Lions bats silent for the remainder of the game, allowing only two more hits over the final four innings.

After day two of play was cancelled, tournament hosts announced a winner based on the results and statistics from day one.  St. Joseph's was awarded first place and St. Paul's University was named runner-up.

St. Joseph's returns to the diamond on Wednesday, April 1 to face perennial rival Mount Saint Vincent for a two game slate.  First game is scheduled to begin at 5:00 p.m. at National Grid Softball Field in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.