Softball Looks to Move Back Above .500 This Weekend, Meeting Valley Forge in PA on Saturday and Hosting Lehman on Sunday

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Riding three straight victories and looking to move back above .500, the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) softball team (11-11) is set for a four-game weekend against The University of Valley Forge and Lehman College.

On Saturday, the Lady Bears will travel to Phoenixville, Pa. for a pair of meetings with Valley Forge beginning at 5 p.m. St. Joseph's will return home the next day, hosting Lehman College for a doubleheader set to begin at 2:30 p.m.

Game Information

Saturday, April 18

Opponent: The University of Valley Forge (1-11)
Time: 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Location: Phoenixville, Pa.

Sunday, April 19

Opponent: Lehman College (8-11)
Time: 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Location: Padavan-Preller Field | Bellerose, N.Y.
Coverage: Live stats (Game 1) | Live Stats (Game 2)

Team Links

St. Joseph's: Roster | Schedule | Statistics | NCAA Ranking Summary
Valley Forge: Roster | Schedule | Statistics
Lehman: Roster | Schedule | Statistics

Quick Hits

• The Lady Bears (11-11) rebounded from a recent five-game losing streak, claiming their last three contests to move back to .500.
• On Wednesday, St. Joseph's opened HVIAC-play sweeping The College of New Rochelle to improve their all-time record against the Blue Angels to 32-0.
• Saturday's doubleheader will mark the second meeting of the season between the Lady Bears and Valley Forge. St. Joseph's swept the Patriots at Padavan-Preller Field for their first two victories of the season on March 28. On Sunday, the Lady Bears will seek to build on their 9-1 home record hosting Lehman.  
• Jackie Perillo has provided the power at the plate this season, producing team highs in homeruns (2) and RBI (14). On Tuesday, the senior repeated as the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Softball Player of the Week.
• Senior Cassandra Molinari (12 RBI), sophomore Samantha Rossi (12 RBI), junior Erica Eddy (11 RBI) and sophomore Kristin Ferrigno (11 RBI) round out the rest of the Lady Bears with double-digit RBI production.
• In the circle, Theresa Armano leads the team in wins (6), ERA (4.05), starts (11) and strikeouts (34). The freshman is riding a 13-inning scoreless streak and back-to-back shutouts.
• Valley Forge (1-11) began their 2015 campaign with a pair of losses to St. Joseph's and will have an opportunity for revenge in Saturday's rematch. Lehman (8-11) will be the Lady Bears' fourth CUNYAC opponent this season. St. Joseph's is 4-2 against the conference thus far.

Series History

vs. Valley Forge: St. Joseph's is 4-0 in a young series history that began last season on April 26.

vs. Lehman: The Lady Bears own a perfect 20-0 mark versus the Lightning in a series that dates back to April 1, 2004.

Last Meetings

vs. Valley Forge: St. Joseph's slammed 26 hits en route to a doubleheader route over Valley Forge on March 28, cruising to a 13-0 five-inning victory in game one and finishing off the sweep with a 14-2 five-inning win in game two.

In game one, the Lady Bears' offense opened the flood gates in the bottom of the first, connecting for seven hits and taking advantage of three errors to push ten runners across. Making use of ample run support, starter Theresa Armano  tossed a complete game five-inning shutout to put the finishing touches on St. Joseph's first victory of the season.

With a clean slate in game two, Valley Forge grabbed a quick 1-0 lead. After a scoreless bottom of the first, the Lady Bears offense came back to life in the second, exploding for six hits and nine runs to reclaim control. Jamilynn McGowan cruised to her first win of the season in the circle, fanning three and surrendering only one earned run over five innings.

vs. Lehman: On April 6, 2014, St. Joseph's remained perfect against Lehman with a pair of victories at home.

The Lady Bears built a 7-0 advantage through three innings to grab control of the opener. Starter Jackie Perillo kept the Lightning at bay, surrendering just four hits and striking out seven to pick up her first win of the season.

Trailing 1-0 after three innings in game two, St. Joseph's plated seven unanswered runs to claim the sweep. Jamilynn McGowan tossed a complete game, allowing three earned runs on eight hits to win her second consecutive start.

The Lady Bear Facts

The Lady Bears (11-11) rebounded from a recent five-game losing streak, claiming their last three contests to move back to .500.

On Wednesday, St. Joseph's opened HVIAC-play sweeping The College of New Rochelle to improve their all-time record against the Blue Angels to 32-0. This Saturday's doubleheader will mark the second meeting of the season between the Lady Bears and Valley Forge. St. Joseph's swept the Patriots at Padavan-Preller Field for their first two victories of the season on March 28. On Sunday, the Lady Bears will seek to build on their 9-1 home record hosting Lehman.  

Jackie Perillo has provided the power at the plate this season, producing team highs in homeruns (2) and RBI (14). On Tuesday, the senior repeated as the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Softball Player of the Week. Senior Cassandra Molinari (12 RBI), sophomore Samantha Rossi (12 RBI), junior Erica Eddy (11 RBI) and sophomore Kristin Ferrigno (11 RBI) round out the rest of the Lady Bears with double-digit RBI production.

In the circle, Theresa Armano leads the team in wins (6), ERA (4.05), starts (11) and strikeouts (34). The freshman is riding a 13-inning scoreless streak and back-to-back shutouts.

Lady Bears Last Time Out

St. Joseph's avoided a scare from Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference foe The College of New Rochelle coming from behind to take a 10-8 victory in game one before cruising to a 14-0 win in the nightcap on Wednesday evening.

New Rochelle, who has never won in the all-time series of 32 meetings, was poised to break the streak holding an 8-6 lead after four innings. But St. Joseph's squashed any hopes of an upset, jumping back on top with a three-run fifth, highlighted by RBI singles from Destiny Marino and Erica Eddy.

St. Joseph's bats exploded for 14 runs and 16 hits in the nightcap. Starter Theresa Armano silenced the Blue Angels bats with a three-hit shutout, her third of the season, striking out six and walking one over five innings of work to improve to 6-5.

Perillo Approaching Milestones, Repeats as HVIAC Player of the Week

For the second straight week, senior Jackie Perillo was named the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Softball Player of the Week as announced by the league office on Tuesday.

The outfielder/pitcher highlighted a busy six-game stretch for the Lady Bears with a 3-for-4 effort in game one of a doubleheader versus John Jay on Sunday, pounding her second home run of the season with a two-run shot that helped the Lady Bears come back from a four-run deficit in a rally that would fall short.

This is the second time in her career receiving Player of the Week honors. She has received Pitcher of the Week three times and Rookie of the Week two times previously.

In addition, Perillo is just seven hits shy of 100 for her career as well as seven runs short of 100.

Lady Bears Remain in USCAA Top 10

St. Joseph's earned a No. 10 ranking in the latest United States Collegiate Athletic Association Coaches Poll released on Friday.

Patriot Games

Valley Forge, out of Phoenixville, Pa., competes in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA). The Patriots (1-11) began their 2015 campaign with a pair of losses to St. Joseph's and will have an opportunity for revenge in Saturday's rematch on their home soil.

Senior Amanda McGinness has swung a consistent bat for Valley Forge with team highs in batting average (.440) and RBI (7). Sophomore Rachel Daniels has started a team-high seven games in the circle, compiling 14 strikeouts and one victory in 35.2 innings.

Valley Forge Last Time Out

On Tuesday, the Patriots fell 9-0 and 10-0 at Penn State Hazelton. Valley Forge's bats were tamed all day as they managed just five hits. On defense, the Patriots committed seven miscues to gift their opponent extra life in a pair of one-sided contests.

Lightning Strikes

Lehman (8-11) will be the Lady Bears' fourth CUNYAC opponent this season. On Sunday, the Lightning will be seeking to break their current three-game skid.

Lehman's offense has blasted four homeruns this season. Senior Ashley Williams (1 HR, 18 RBI) and junior Jona Kerluku (17 RBI) lead the team in run production while sophomore Arlette Martinez is sizzling at the plate with a team-best .408 (20-49) batting average.

The Lightning's go-to starter Meghan Bravo has taken the ball in 15 of 19 games, amassing 12 complete games, 59 strikeouts and a 7-8 record.

Lehman Last Time Out

The College of Mount Saint Vincent dealt the Lighting a doubleheader sweep on Thursday. MSV erupted for 18 runs on 13 hits in the opener, shutting Lehman out.

The Lightning bounced back in a competitive game two, grabbing a 5-4 advantage in the top of the fifth. But the Dolphins closed the contest with four unanswered runs, included a two-run homerun, to earn the 8-5 victory and the sweep.

Meghan Bravo suffered the loss in game two despite notching her twelfth complete game of the season. The sophomore allowed two earned runs and fanned three in six innings of work.

Next Up for the Lady Bears 

On Thursday, St. Joseph's will meet another CUNYAC foe in Brooklyn College for a road doubleheader with first pitch set for 5 p.m.