Softball Swept by Mount Saint Vincent in Home Opener

BELLEROSE, N.Y. – The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) softball team took a late lead in the nightcap of their home opener doubleheader against the College of Mount Saint Vincent, but couldn't avoid a sweep dropping 16-1 (five innings) and 7-3 decisions on a frigid, Friday spring afternoon at Padavan-Preller Field.

The Lady Bears (1-7) suffer their fifth-straight setback while the Dophins (3-5) snapped a three-game skid.

Mount Saint Vincent scored early and often in the opener, plating three runs in the first inning and tacking on runs in each frame, rapping out 16 hits in the decisive win.

The Dolphins jumped out to an early lead again in the nightcap posting one run in the first aided by a Lady Bears miscue, but St. Joseph's assembled a threat in the first three innings advancing runners to scoring position before finally breaking through for three runs in the fourth off Andrea Sideli (Brooklyn, NY/Bishop Kearney) and Christina Quintana (Brooklyn, NY/St. Edmund Prep) RBI singles to take a 3-2 advantage. But it would be short-lived as the Dolphins scored five unanswered over the final two innings to seal the win.

Senior Danielle Marino (Maspeth, NY/Mary Louis) led the Bears at the plate with a 3-for-6 afternoon with a triple, walk, two runs scored and two stolen bases. Quintana finished with a 3-for-3 day coming off the bench, with a double and a RBI. Sideli knocked two hits and drove in two runs, ripping a double in the opener to bring in the Lady Bears' lone run.

The Dolphins were paced by Kathleen Davis going 5-for-7 with five RBI, three runs scored, three doubles and a triple. Danielle Maffei went 4-for-9 with five runs scored, four RBI, two home runs and a triple. 

Turning Point – Game 1

After Mabel Vargas (Ridgewood, NY/Mary Louis) retired the first two batters of the game, the Dolphins set the tone for the rest of the game, knocking two-straight hits to plate a run and a throwing error opened up a three-run frame the Lady Bears would never recover from.

Mount Saint Vincent jumped out to an 8-0 advantage—with all but one run scoring with two outs—before the Lady Bears finally got on board with a two-out double from Sideli in the 3rd.

Turning Point – Game 2

The Lady Bears bats woke up in the nightcap knocking 10 hits, but stranded six on base through four innings before the top of the lineup started a rally in the fifth to take their first lead of the twinbill. Millicia Malvasio (Brooklyn, NY/Bishop Kearney) and Vargas started the rally with singles as Lady Bears loaded the bases with no outs and took a 3-2 lead.

But the Dolphins would quickly respond three runs of their own in their next at bat with back-to-back doubles from Joann Guerra and Kathleen Davis, eventually loading the bases and scoring three runs to take back the lead for good.

Inside the Box Scores

• Vargas started both games in the circle and took both losses to fall to 1-5
• Marino hit successfully in both games, extending her hitting streak to a team-leading three games.
• The Dolphins batted 9-for-14 (.643) and drove in 10 runs with two outs in game one
• The Lady Bears and Dolphins each knocked in 10 hits in game two, but St. Joseph's stranded 11 on base, leaving eight in scoring position.  

News and Notes

• Mount Saint Vincent won their third-straight game in the all-time series, but St. Joseph's still maintains a 12-11 advantage overall.

Next up for the Lady Bears

St. Joseph's continues a six-game home stand at Padavan-Preller Field, welcoming York College on Thursday, March 28 starting at 2 p.m.