Softball Increases Winning Streak to Three With Sweep of Lehman

BELLEROSE, N.Y. – The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) softball team used an offense that recorded 26 hits and plated 16 runs along with strong pitching performances by junior Jackie Perillo (Howard Beach, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) and freshman Jamilynn McGowan (Staten Island, N.Y./Michael J. Petrides) to sweep Lehman College, defeating the Lightning in the opener, 9-4, before taking the nightcap 7-3 on Sunday afternoon at Padavan-Preller Field.

St. Joseph's (3-8) has now won three games in a row and improves to a perfect 3-0 at home, while Lehman (3-13) has dropped six in a row and 13 of their last 14.

The Lady Bears didn't take long to get comfortable against Lightning pitching as Perillo opened up game one with a single and would later come around to score on a Kristin Ferrigno (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Kearney) sacrifice fly to give St. Joseph's a 1-0 lead.

Perillo made the start in the circle in the opener and started off strong not allowing a Lehman hit through the first three innings of play and fanned three.

The Lady Bears contributed more run support for Perillo in the second when they scored five runs, all coming with two outs as they were helped by two dropped fly balls in the outfield that allowed three of the runs in the inning to score. Ferrigno helped plate the other two runs in the frame with a two-RBI single to left center that gave St. Joseph's a 6-0 lead after two.

The third inning saw the Lady Bears plate a run on a Perillo single and St. Joseph's tacked on a pair of runs in the fourth to take a 9-1 lead, forcing Lehman to have to score in the fifth to avoid the run rule.

The Lightning plated three runs in the fifth to avoid the five inning loss, but it only delayed the inevitable as Perillo pitched a strong sixth and seventh innings to secure the win.

Perillo went the distance, allowing only four hits on the day, while surrendering four runs (three earned) and struck out seven to pick up her first win of the season, improving to 1-4.

After taking the loss in game one, Lehman pitcher Meghan Bravo was in the circle once again in the nightcap and the Lady Bears would not have the same early success as they did in the opener.

Bravo and St. Joseph's starter McGowan put up zeroes in the first and second frames before the Lightning finally broke the scoreless tie with a run in the third to take a 1-0 lead. 

The Lady Bears offense finally strung together a pair of hits in the third after not recording one in the first two innings, but were kept off the board. McGowan settled in for St. Joseph's and pitched well throwing three consecutive shutout innings, giving up only one hit which allowed the Lady Bears' bats to get on track.

The fourth inning saw St. Joseph's break through against Bravo as they used a two-RBI single to right by Briana Robles (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Kearney) and a Geena Campisi (Howard Beach, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) RBI single to right center to take a 3-1 lead, finishing with four hits in the frame.

Ferrigno added on to the Lady Bears' lead with an RBI single up the middle in the fifth before a three-run inning in the sixth gave St. Joseph's a comfortable 7-1 advantage. Freshman Samantha Rossi (Bayside, N.Y./Mary Louis) came through with an RBI groundout and junior Cassandra Molinari (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) and Perillo each contributed an RBI single to the cause.

Lehman added two runs in the seventh, but their rally came up short as McGowan induced a pair of groundouts to finish off the sweep.

McGowan finished with a complete game, allowing three earned runs on eight hits with two strikeouts to win her second straight start and improve to 2-4 in the circle this year.

Ferrigno ended the day at the dish an impressive 4-for-7 with a team-high four RBI, while scoring a run. Perillo finished up hitting 4-for-9 with four runs scored and two RBI, while Molinari batted 4-for-7, driving in a run and scoring one. Robles contributed a 3-for-5 day with three runs and two RBI.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORES

• Other Contributors: Morgan Summers (4-for-7, 2 R, RBI) Campisi (2-for-5, 2 R, 2 RBI) Samantha Simon (2-for-7, 2 R) Rossi (2-for-7, R, RBI)
• Lehman finished with 12 hits on the day and committed six errors, while St. Joseph's made both of their errors in the opener.
• Nine different Lady Bears recorded a hit in the opener and eight accomplished the feat in the nightcap.
• Bravo threw only 83 pitches in the second game after tossing 127 in the opener.
• St. Joseph's pitching issued five walks on the day, while Lehman walked two.

THE LADY BEAR FACTS

• The Lady Bears improve to 20-0 all-time against the Lightning.
• The RBIs for Summers and Perillo were their first of the season.
• The seven strikeouts by Perillo ties her career high set against Yeshiva on May 5, 2013.
• St. Joseph's has now recorded double-digit hits in each of their last three games.

NEXT UP FOR THE LADY BEARS – OLD WESTBURY

St. Joseph's home doubleheader against Cedar Crest scheduled for Tuesday, April 8th has been postponed so the Lady Bears will not be back in action on Thursday, April 10th for a doubleheader at Old Westbury beginning at 3 p.m.