Lady Bears Softball Shocks Lightning Overcoming Eight-Run Deficit in Walk-Off Sweep

BELLEROSE, N.Y. – Three outs away from suffering a run rule defeat, the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) softball team scored nine unanswered runs in the final three innings capped by Mabel Vargas' (Ridgewood, NY/Mary Louis) bases clearing triple that handed the Lady Bears a 13-12 walk-off win over Lehman College and followed it with a 5-3 victory in the nightcap on Monday afternoon at Padavan-Preller Field.

The Lady Bears (5-7) have now assembled a four-game winning streak at home and escaped their first loss to the Lightning (0-9) in the all-time series.

With St. Joseph's trailing 12-4 in the fifth inning of the opener, a three-run homer from Andrea Sideli (Brooklyn, NY/Bishop Kearney) averted the run rule and after adding two more runs in the sixth, Millicia Malvasio (Brooklyn, NY/Bishop Kearney) drew a two-out bases loaded walk in the seventh and Vargas capped the comeback with a drive to the gap in right center that emptied the bases.

In the nightcap with the game tied at 1-1, St. Joseph's posted pairs of runs in the third and fourth innings to pull ahead, 5-1, a deficit the Lightning couldn't overcome before the game was called due to darkness after the completion of the top of the sixth.

Sophomore Jackie Perillo (Howard Beach, NY/Archbishop Molloy) notched her first two collegiate victories in the circle, tossing three scorless, two-hit innings in relief in the opener and making the start in game two, leveling her record at 2-2 on the season. 

Sophomore Cassandra Molinari (Brooklyn, NY/St. Edmund Prep) paced the offense with a 4-for-7 afternoon, with two RBI, four runs scored and a triple. Sideli finished with a team-high six RBI, a home run and a double.

Turning Points – Game 1

The Lady Bears allowed two big frames, York posting five runs in the second—all with two outs—and again in the fourth with the top of the Cardinal lineup knocking six straight hits to build a 12-4 lead.

St. Joseph's chipped away at the deficit and trailed 12-9 headed to their final at-bat. Sideli and Maria Randazzo (Brooklyn, NY/Fontbonne Hall) led off the frame with drawing walks to start the rally. After a groundout for the first out of the inning, Morgan Summers (Bellerose, NY/St. Mary's) singled up the middle to load the bases and bringing the winning run to the plate.

York starter Shelia San Andres caught Perillo swinging to pull within one out of their first victory, but then walked Malvasio to cut the lead to 12-10. Vargas, who started the game in the circle, helped her own cause and ripped a standup triple that emptied the bases for the walk-off win.

Turning Points – Game 2

St. Joseph's posted a solo run in the second to open the scoring, but Lehman countered with a solo run of their own in their next at bat. Danielle Marino (Maspeth, NY/Mary Louis) put the Lady Bears on top for good with a leadoff home run in the third and Molinari followed her with a triple, later scoring on a Sideli sacrifice fly that put St. Joseph's up 3-1.

The Lady Bears made the most of two leadoff walks in the fourth, both scoring on a Malvasio single and a Marino grounder to take a 5-1 advantage.

With daylight fading in the sixth, the Lightning threatened with a late rally, taking advantage of two Lady Bears miscues, scoring two runs on a double by starter Janet Ortiz. But the defense held strong ending the game with a double play gunning her down at the plate when she later tried to score on a sacrifice attempt that would have cut the deficit to one.

Inside the Box Scores

• Lehman outhit St. Joseph's 23-13 over the twinbill, but Lightning pitchers issued 16 free passes, compared to five for the Lady Bears. Randazzo and Perillo drew four walks each.
• Sideli and Marino each knocked home runs, the first homers for St. Joseph's this season. It was Sideli's second career four-bagger and Marino's fourth.
• Sideli and Vargas combined to drive in nine of the Lady Bears' 13 runs in game one. 
• St. Joseph's turned three double plays in the nightcap, setting a new single-game record.
• Vargas batted 2-for-4, accumulating four RBI, two runs, a double, triple, three walks and a stolen base on the afternoon. 

News and Notes

• The Lady Bears improve to 18-0 all-time vs. Lehman
• It is the ninth walk-off victory in Lady Bears history and first since a 7-6 triumph over Purchase at home last March.
• The eight runs overcome is the largest overcome in Lady Bears history and the first time St. Joseph's escaped facing a run rule loss in a win.
• The last time the Lady Bears comitted five errors in a game and won was also against Lehman on April 16, 2009, winning 14-8.
• St. Joseph's has not lost since 2008 when homering in a game, 25-0 over that span with 31 home runs.

Next up for the Lady Bears - John Jay

The Lady Bears continue their six-game stretch against CUNYAC opposition with a doubleheader at John Jay on Wednesday, April 3rd. First pitch is slated for 3:30 p.m.