Perillo Homers Again, But Softball Suffers Second Consecutive Doubleheader Sweep at John Jay

RANDALL'S ISLAND, N.Y. - The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) softball team (8-10) suffered their second consecutive doubleheader sweep on Sunday, falling 5-4 and 10-5 to John Jay College (10-12).

The Bloodhounds built an early 4-0 advantage after two innings in game one. Freshman Lisa Pellegrino led the way with an RBI-groundout in the first followed by a RBI-single in the second inning to cap a four-hit, three-run rally.

The Lady Bears' bats remained silent until the top of the sixth, when they erupted for four runs to knot up the score.

Senior Cassandra Molinari (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) got the rally started with a one-out single. Fellow senior Jackie Perillo (Howard Beach, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) brought her classmate home and cut the deficit in half with one swing, driving a two-run homerun to left-center field. Two more singles and an error brought the Lady Bears even at four.

But John Jay countered right back in the bottom half of the sixth inning. With the go-ahead run at second, senior Jennifer Varela connected for a two-out double to move the Bloodhounds up 5-4.

Starter Sara McKenna prevented another dramatic rally in the seventh, shutting the door on St. Joseph's and earning the victory. The senior surrendered just two earned runs and struck out five in seven innings of work.

Theresa Armano (Middle Village, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) suffered the loss despite also going the distance in the circle. The freshman allowed three earned runs and fanned two in six innings. At the plate, Perillo finished 3-for-4  while collecting St. Joseph's only two RBI.

Just like game one, John Jay manufactured a 4-0 lead after two innings in the capper. And once again, the Lady Bears fought back to even the score.

In the top of the third, St. Joseph's took advantage of two errors to cut the Bloodhounds' lead in half.

Sophomores Samantha Simon (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Kearney) and Kristin Ferrigno (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Kearney) led off the fourth with consecutive singles to threaten further damage. Anther defensive miscue by the Bloodhounds brought Simon and Ferrigno home to tie the score.

But John Jay reclaimed the momentum with a four-run bottom of the fourth. That would be all the support starter Lisa Pellegrino would need. The freshman allowed five runs, none of them earned, in seven innings to collect the victory.

Following a four-game road trip, St. Joseph's will return to Padavan-Preller Field on Tuesday, April 14 looking to get back into the win column. They'll meet future Skyline Conference rival Mount Saint Vincent for a doubleheader clash at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Live stats will be available at SJCBears.com.