Softball Gameday: Lady Bears at Ave Maria

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – St. Joseph's (0-2) continues its Florida trip with a doubleheader at fellow USCAA member Ave Maria (16-16) on Wednesday, March 19th at 2 p.m.

Game Information

St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) (0-2) at Ave Maria University (16-16)

Wednesday, March 19th • 2 p.m.
AMU Softball Field • Ave Maria, Fla.

Live Stats | Video
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Storylines

• St. Joseph's faces Ave Maria for the first time in softball, but women's basketball played the Gyrenes in the USCAA Tournament back on March 5th.
• The Lady Bears try to begin their road schedule on a high note after going a respectable 6-6-1 in true road games a year ago.
• Today's matchup could go a long way in helping both teams make the USCAA National Championships as the Lady Gyrenes finished runner up to Lindenwood University-Belleville in the Championships a year ago.
• Ave Maria looks to continue their strong play as of late, having won eight of their last ten games.

Series History

First Meeting

The Bear Facts

St. Joseph's comes off a 2013 season that was a transition year for the program after losing several key starters that went to four consecutive USCAA National Tournaments. The Lady Bears finished 15-17-1 a year ago for their first losing record since 2008, but return several key contributors from a year ago.

St. Joseph's looks to get back to the USCAA National Tournament for the first time since going for four consecutive years in a streak that ended in 2012. The Lady Bears return seven players from a year ago, but coach Carbone and his staff also welcome in eight new players who look to make a mark in their first year with the team.

Outfielder Maria Randazzo is the top returning hitter for St. Joseph's from a year ago. The sophomore hit .434 in 53 ABs, scoring 13 runs and driving in nine runs. The leading run producer for the Lady Bears from last year also returns in catcher/second baseman Cassandra Molinari. The junior had 28 RBI and batted .359 in 92 ABs, while also pitching seven innings on the season, allowing only one earned run. Molinari started the 2014 campaign with a 3-for-6 day in St. Joseph's season-opening doubleheader on Monday and threw out two runners at second from behind the plate.

The leading returnee in the circle is Jackie Perillo who went 7-6 a year ago in 68 1/3 innings of work in her first year pitching, throwing a no-hitter against New Rochelle on April 4th. Perillo is coming off a complete game in the Lady Bears season opener on Monday versus Alfred State. The junior also plays in the outfield and is a threat at the plate, hitting .325 a year ago with a team-high-tying three home runs, scored a team-high 28 runs and knocked in 19 runs.

Scouting the Gyrenes

Last Time Out: Ave Maria split a doubleheader with Hastings College on Tuesday, falling 3-0 in the opener before taking the nightcap 1-0.

Ave Maria is coming off a season that saw them make it to the USCAA National championship game, falling to Lindenwood University-Belleville in the title game. The Lady Gyrenes are looking to move back over .500 and are playing well as of late having won eight of their last ten games.

Ave Maria relies on its pitching as their staff carries an impressive 2.54 ERA into today's matchup and the staff has 138 punchouts on the year. On the offensive side the Lady Gyrenes thrive on the basepaths, stealing 82 bases on the year.

Kingsley Avery leads Ave Maria offensively with a .371 batting average and 17 runs scored. The outfielder is also a threat once she gets on base, having stolen a team-high 16 bases in 17 attempts. Also contributing for the Lady Gyrenes is Amber Presto who hits .321 and has nine runs scored and nine RBIs on the year. Marlie Braddy leads the team with 15 RBIs and has seven stolen bases so far this season.

Leading the Ave Maria pitching staff is Emily Lemin who owns a 6-8 record with an impressive 2.54 ERA in 91 1/3 innings of work. Then junior has 75 strikeouts on the year and has 11 complete games in 14 starts.

Team Comparison

Lady Bears	Nickname	Lady Gyrenes
0-2	Record	16-16
HVIAC	Conference	The Sun
Roster | Schedule | Statistics	Team Info	Roster | Schedule | Statistics
Cassandra Molinari (.500)	Top Avg.	Kinglsey Avery (.371)
S. Rossi & S. Rom (1)	Top RBI	Marlie Braddy (15)
J. McGowan & J. Perillo (1)	Top K	Emily Lemin (75)
.244	Bat. Avg.	.274
.267	Slugging	.342
.333	OBP	.348
4	Runs	114
11	Hits	212
2	RBI	92
0	SB	82
8.75	ERA	2.54
.255	Opp. Avg.	.271
2/17	K/BB	138/93
.893	Field %	.916