Lady Bears Softball Suffers Doubleheader Sweep in Arizona as They Continue Tucson Invitational Games

TUCSON, Ariz. - The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) softball team continued their Arizona trip with a doubleheader loss on Friday, falling to 0-4 in the Tucson Invitational Games. The Lady Bears dropped game one 11-3 in six innings to The University of Puget Sound (4-18) and lost the doubleheader capper 8-0 in five innings to The University of Minnesota-Crookston (4-14).

St. Joseph's began game one on positive note, stringing together a small rally to claim a quick 1-0 lead in the top of the first after failing to plate a runner in Thursday's doubleheader.

Sophomore Kristin Ferrigno (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Kearney) got the Lady Bears started with a leadoff walk and senior Cassandra Molinari (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) followed that up with her own base on balls to make it first and second with one out. After a passed ball advanced both runners, sophomore Samantha Rossi (Bayside, N.Y./Mary Louis) brought Ferrigno home with a sacrifice fly to center to give St. Joseph's the early advantage.

But Puget Sound responded in a massive way in the bottom of the first, bringing seven runners home in a seven-hit inning. The outburst was highlighted by a grand slam off the bat of sophomore Paige Schaffer.

The Lady Bears threatened in the top of the third inning, putting runners on first and third with no outs following another leadoff walk from Ferrigno and a single by sophomore Samantha Simon (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Kearney). A double play brought in Ferrigno from third, but halted the Lady Bears' rally.

Trailing 10-2 in the top of the fifth inning, Molinari ripped a two-out RBI single to plate senior Shannon Rom (Breezy Point, N.Y./Bishop Kearney). But the Loggers cemented the victory in the bottom of the sixth via the eight-run rule after a single, double and subsequent passed ball brought Schaffer in for the winning run.

Lady Bears' sophomore starter Jamilynn McGowan (Staten Island, N.Y./Michael J. Petrides) fell to 0-2 on the season while freshman Theresa Armano (Middle Village, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) pitched five innings in relief, allowing four earned runs.

Opposing freshman Kasey Stern improved to 1-2, allowing three earned runs and fanning eight in a six-inning complete game.

In game two, after a scoreless top of the first from the Lady Bears, Minnesota-Crookston manufactured two runs in the bottom half of the inning thanks to a pair of sacrifice flies.

While St. Joseph's struggled to kickstart their offense, the Golden Eagles plated one in the second and three more in the fourth as they continued to tack onto their lead, building a sizeable 6-0 advantage after four innings of play.

In the bottom of the fifth, freshman Victoria Bayliss connected for an RBI double to enact the eight-run rule, securing the victory for Minnesota and dropping the Lady Bears to 0-4 on the season.

Armano, the starter in game two, dropped to 0-2 for St. Joseph's while Crookston sophomore Bailey Braatz improved to 2-5 off a complete-game five-hit shutout. Bayliss led the Golden Eagles on offense, finishing a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with one RBI and a stolen base.

The Lady Bears will finish off their Arizona trip on Saturday, meeting Pacific Lutheran University at 2 p.m. and No. 19 Central College (Iowa) at 4:30 p.m.