Softball Travels to Ohio for USCAA Nationals; Meets UC Clermont in the First Round on Monday

AKRON, OH. – Set to make their first United States Collegiate Athletic Association National Championships appearance since 2012, the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) softball team (22-17) will enter as the No. 7 seed in the 10-team field. The Lady Bears will clash with No. 10 University of Cincinnati-Clermont in the first round on Monday at 12 p.m. If victorious, St. Joseph's will have an opportunity to upset No. 2 Carlow University in the quarterfinal on Monday at 8 p.m.

Game Information

First Round - Monday, May 11

Opponent: No. 10 University of Cincinnati-Clermont (12-3)
Time: 12 p.m.
Location: Firestone Stadium | Akron, Ohio
Coverage: Live stats & Video

Quarterfinal Round (with win) – Monday, May 11 

Opponent: No. 2 Carlow University (26-14)
Time: 8 p.m.
Location: Firestone Stadium | Akron, Ohio

Team Links

St. Joseph's: Roster | Schedule | Statistics | NCAA Ranking Summary
UC Clermont: Roster | Schedule | Statistics
Carlow University: Roster | Schedule | Statistics

Quick Hits

• Despite starting the season 0-6, St. Joseph's (22-17) reached the 20-win mark for the first time since 2012 and will conclude their 2015 campaign with another plus .500 record.
• On May 3, the Lady Bears claimed their seventh consecutive Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament title in impressive fashion, defeating Sarah Lawrence College 11-3 in the semifinal and Yeshiva University 7-3 in the championship.
• On Monday, St. Joseph's will be making their first appearance in the USCAA National Championships since 2012, when the No. 6 Lady Bears fell to No. 3 Spalding University 4-0 and to No. 7 Penn State Beaver 3-2 in the double-elimination tournament. But St. Joseph's concluded their season a positive note with a 10-0, five-inning victory over Penn State Mont Alto in the seventh-place contest.
• At the plate this season, Cassandra Molinari has driven in a team-high 27 RBI, ranking 20^th in the USCAA. The senior is hitting .302 and has slugged 32 hits, including six doubles. Senior Jackie Perillo and sophomore Samantha Rossi have each driven in 26 runs, while sophomore Kristen Ferrigno leads the Lady Bears in hits (40) and runs (36) to go along with a .382 average.
• In the circle, freshman Theresa Armano leads the team in wins (11), starts (19), innings (103.1), complete games (14) and strikeouts (62). In the USCAA ranks, she sits seventh in wins, ninth in innings and fourth in complete games. Sophomore Jamilynn McGowan ranks tenth in the USCAA in wins (10) and leads the Lady Bears with a 4.19 ERA.
• After leading St. Joseph's to their seventh straight HVIAC Tournament title,  Cassandra Molinari, Samantha Rossi, Kristin Ferrigno and Maria Gentile were named to the 2015 All-HVIAC Softball Team for their standout performances this season.
• The University of Cincinnati-Clermont snuck in as the final seed in the 10-team field. The Cougars coasted to a 12-3 record this season, but dropped their final two regular season contests to USCAA foe and No. 8 seeded Berea College.

Series History

This will be the first meeting in history between St. Joseph's and UC Clermont. If victorious, the Lady Bears will also be seeing Carlow University for the first time in the second round.

The Lady Bear Facts

Despite starting the season 0-6, St. Joseph's (22-17) reached the 20-win mark for the first time since 2012 and will conclude their 2015 campaign with another plus .500 record. On May 3, the Lady Bears claimed their seventh consecutive Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament title in impressive fashion, defeating Sarah Lawrence College 11-3 in the semifinal and Yeshiva University 7-3 in the championship.

On Monday, St. Joseph's will be making their first appearance in the USCAA National Championships since 2012, when the No. 6 Lady Bears fell to No. 3 Spalding University 4-0 and to No. 7 Penn State Beaver 3-2 in the double-elimination tournament. But St. Joseph's concluded their season a positive note with a 10-0, five-inning victory over Penn State Mont Alto in the seventh-place contest.

At the plate this season, Cassandra Molinari has driven in a team-high 27 RBI, ranking 20^th in the USCAA. The senior is hitting .302 and has slugged 32 hits, including six doubles. Senior Jackie Perillo and sophomore Samantha Rossi have each driven in 26 runs, while sophomore Kristen Ferrigno leads the Lady Bears in hits (40) and runs (36) to go along with a .382 average.

In the circle, freshman Theresa Armano leads the team in wins (11), starts (19), innings (103.1), complete games (14) and strikeouts (62). In the USCAA ranks, she sits seventh in wins, ninth in innings and fourth in complete games. Sophomore Jamilynn McGowan ranks tenth in the USCAA in wins (10) and leads the Lady Bears with a 4.19 ERA.

Lady Bears Last Time Out

In a USCAA Tournament tuneup on Wednesday, St. Joseph's was edged out by rivals Briarcliffe, 1-0, at the PAL Complex in Holbrook, N.Y.

Both lineups succumbed to a pitchers' duel in the fifth meeting between the USCAA rivals this season. Lady Bears starter Jamilynn McGowan tossed five innings of two-hit, shutout ball, striking out three and walking two while her Bulldog counterpart Heidi Gomez matched her with two hits, five strikeouts and no walks, both leaving the circle deadlocked at 0-0 after five.

In the seventh, the Bulldogs rallied to push across the first and only run of the game. Maria Gentile and Erica Eddy knocked the lone hits for the Lady Bears with singles in the second and third innings.

Briarcliffe will enter the USCAA Tournament as the No. 4 seed and will face No. 5 Penn State Hazleton in their opening round matchup on Monday.

Molinari, Rossi, Ferrigno and Gentile Named HVIAC-All Conference

After leading St. Joseph's to their seventh straight HVIAC Tournament title,  Cassandra Molinari, Samantha Rossi, Kristin Ferrigno and Maria Gentile were named to the 2015 All-HVIAC Softball Team.

Molinari, a senior catcher/second baseman, is the top run producer for the Lady Bears, leading the team and the HVIAC with 27 runs batted in.

Rossi, a sophomore outfielder, trails Molinari tied for second on the team with 26 RBI. The one-time HVIAC Player of the Week has knocked multiple hits in a team-high-tying 11 games.

Ferrigno, a sophomore third baseman, sets the table as the Lady Bears leadoff hitter leading the team and league with a .392 batting average, 40 hits and 36 runs scored and a third-best .496 on base percentage.

Gentile, a freshman first baseman, has produced a fine rookie campaign batting .365 with a team-second-best .492 slugging percentage and eight extra base hits. 

Inside the Cougar Den

The University of Cincinnati-Clermont snuck in as the final seed in the 10-team field and will look to embrace the Cinderella role alongside the Lady Bears. The Cougars coasted to a 12-3 record this season, but dropped their final two regular season contests to USCAA foe and No. 8 seeded Berea College.

Brianna Stacy leads the way offensively, connecting for a hit in more than half of her at bats. The freshman's .559 batting average (19-for-34) ranks fourth in the USCAA. Fellow freshman Anna Shoemake has produced a team-high 15 runs batted in while sophomore Brady Potrafke has raked a team leading three homeruns.

In the circle, ace Madison Taber leads the Cougars and all of the USCAA with a microscopic 0.53 ERA. The freshman has surrendered just six earned runs in 79.1 innings, compiling an 11-3 record and 61 strikeouts.

UC Clermont Last Time Out

On April 26, the Cougars concluded their regular season with a pair of losses to USCAA foe Berea College. Berea controlled Clermont 8-0 and 11-1, both in five innings.

The Cougars mustered just three hits on the day and committed six miscues on the defensive end. Freshman Madison Taber took the ball in both ends of the doubleheader, suffering the loss each time.

No. 8 Berea College will open play in the tournament against No. 9 PSU Schuylkill on Monday.

Celtic Pride

Carlow has compiled a 26-14 record to earn a first-round bye and the No. 2 seed. The Celtics have split their last six contests heading into Monday's showdown with either the Lady Bears or UC Clermont. But Carlow thrived on neutral ground this season, amassing a 10-3 record.

Sophomore Kenzie Young has paced the offense with a team-best 40 RBI, sixth most in the USCAA. Fellow sophomore Allison Hyradil trails close behind with 36 runs batted in to go along with team highs in batting average (.448), long-balls (4), slugging percentage (.713) and on base percentage (.515).

In the circle, ace Emily Pritts has earned 11 victories in 18 starts. The freshman has pitched to a 3.33 ERA and fanned 82 batters in 98.2 innings.

Carlow University Last Time Out

On May 1, the Celtics competed in the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament. After edging out Brescia University 4-3 in the quarterfinal, Carlow succumbed to Indiana University Southeast 10-1 in the semifinal.