Softball Picks Up First Win with Triumph Over Dallas, Falls to Wisconsin Lutheran to Split Day Two of Gene Cusic

FORT MYERS, Fla. – The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) softball team notched their first win of the 2013 campaign with a 12-4 victory over the University of Dallas at the Lee County Complex on Friday morning. The Lady Bears fell, 8-0, in the second game to Wisconsin Lutheran College to split the twinbill.

In the opener against Dallas (1-12), St. Joseph's (1-3) scored four runs in the first to take an early lead they wouldn't relinquish. The Lady Bears belted out 13 hits against Crusader starter Nicole Frazier, scoring in every frame except the third, posting four runs in the fifth to end the game early via run rule.

Senior Mabel Vargas (Ridgewood, NY/Mary Louis) picked up her first win of the season vs. Dallas going five strong allowing seven hits, four earned runs while fanning one. She also helped her cause at the plate with a 3-for-3 game, and finished the afternoon batting 4-for-5 with two runs scored and a RBI.

In game two against Wisconsin Lutheran (4-4), St. Joseph's offense struggled against Warrior starter pitcher Bekah Shellberg who went the distance allowing only two hits while fanning five. Shellberg pitched three no-hit innings until Vargas led off the top of the fourth with a single to center.

Senior Millicia Malvasio (Brooklyn, NY/Bishop Kearney) batted 3-for-6 over the twinbill with a triple and three runs scored. Danielle Marino (Maspeth, NY/Mary Louis) and Cassandra Molinari (Brooklyn, NY/St. Edmund Prep) drove in three RBI each, Marino also scoring twice. 

TURNING POINT vs. Dallas

St. Joseph's sent eight batters to the plate in the first inning and built an early 4-0 lead. Vargas helped her own cause with a single to right field to get the rally started for the Lady Bears. Marino followed with a double to the wall placing runners on 2nd and 3rd, then Molinari and Perillo each picked up back-to-back RBI to open the scoring. A Crusader error later allowed Molinari to score and freshman Morgan Summers (Bellerose, NY/St. Mary's) tacked on another run with an RBI single up the middle scoring Perillo to cap the four-run frame.

Dallas cut the deficit to 5-2 in the third, before the Lady Bears added three more runs in the fourth. The Lady Bears jumped on top of Frazie in the fifth, loading the bases with one out before Marino knocked a bases clearing triple and scored the very next batter to reach the run rule.

TURNING POINT vs. Wisconsin Lutheran

The Warriors opened the scoring in the first inning with a three spot getting to sophomore starter Jackie Perillo (Howard Beach, NY/Archbishop Molloy) who went one inning allowing three runs, three hits while walking five picking up the loss in her second career start in the circle. Vargas entered in relief in the second and worked out of a bases loaded jam and kept the Warriors off the board in the third inning.

In the fourth, the Lady Bears broke Shellberg's no-hit bid with singles from Vargas and Megan Moran (Syosset, NY/St. Dominic's) and threatened to end the shutout, but were stranded at second and third. The WLC offense responded with eight hits in the bottom half, scoring five runs to reach the run rule.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORES

• Vargas picks up fifth career win and first since May 2, 2010 vs. New Rochelle and has a four-game hitting streak dating back to last season.
• In game one vs. Dallas, the Lady Bears went 9-for-20 (.450) with runners on base and 6-for-7 (.857) with a runner on third .
• Malvasio is one run shy of 100 for her career.
• Perillo finished the doubleheader going 2-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI

NEXT UP FOR THE LADY BEARS

The Bears conclude their season-opening Florida trip with matchups against Smith (at 11 a.m.) and Worcester State (at 1 p.m.) on Sunday, March 17th at the Gene Cusic Classic. Follow @SJCBears on Twitter for live updates and live video on www.SJCBears.com