Softball Downs Keuka To Split Final Day of Virginia Trip

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) softball team held off a late rally from Keuka College to earn their first win of the Virginia Beach Blast Tournament, but the Bears couldn't finish their season-opening mid-Atlantic trip at .500, falling to Allegheny College in their finale.

Sophomore Amber Wainwright (Taunton, Mass./Taunton) collected five hits on the day and finished the southern swing on a five-game hitting streak. Junior Victoria Mahoney (Allenwood, N.J./Saint John Vianney) picked up her first win of the season in the circle in the opener, going the distance.

The Basics

• Final Scores: St. Joseph's 5, Keuka 3; Allegheny 8, St. Joseph's 0 (6 inn)
• Records: St. Joseph's (2-3), Keuka (0-3), Allegheny (3-1)
• Location: Virginia Beach, Va. — Princess Anne Athletic Complex

Game 1: St. Joseph's 5, Keuka 3

SJC Starters: Csikortos (SS), Rancel (CF), Baglino (C), Wainwright (3B), Whalen (DP), Gentile (1B), Quintana (2B), Vento (LF), Finnerty (RF); Mahoney (P)

• After two-and-a-half scoreless frames, the Bears pushed across all five of their runs in the bottom of the third. Megan Finnerty (Whitestone, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) led off the 11-batter frame with a double and scored the game's first run on a Brianna Baglino (Howard Beach, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) two-run single two batters later, that also scored Paige Csikortos (Rocky Point, N.Y./Rocky Point). SJC knocked five straight hits with Kelsie Whalen (Florence, N.J./Notre Dame) delivering an opposite field RBI double and scored on a Maria Gentile (Brooklyn, N.Y./Fontbonne Hall) single that knocked the Wolves starter out of the circle.
• Keuka got on the board with two runs (one earned) in the fourth and a solo run in the fifth to cut the deficit to two, 5-3, as Janessa Vaadi came out of the bullpen to hold the Bears hitless over the final three frames.
• The Wolves brought the tying run to the plate in the seventh with one out and the heart of the lineup due up, but Victoria Mahoney (Allenwood, N.J./Saint John Vianney) induced a popup and a grounder to finish off the complete-game victory.

Game 2: Allegheny 8, St. Joseph's 0 (6 inn)

SJC Starters: Csikortos (SS), Rancel (CF), Baglino (DP). Wainwright (3B), Whalen (C), Gentile (1B), Quintana (2B), Mahoney (LF), Finnerty (RF); Armano (P)

• Aided by a Bears miscue, the Gators plated two runs in the bottom of the first and never trailed.
• The Bears threatened in the fourth as Baglino, Wainwright and Whalen knocked rapped three straight hits to load the bases with no one out, but Allegheny came away unscathed forcing Baglino out at home followed by a flyout and a grounder.
• The Gators doubled their lead up in the home half of the inning and tacked on one more in the fifth to move ahead 5-0.
• Wainwright led off the sixth with a single to finish 3-for-3, but it was SJC's lone knock over the final two innings. In the bottom of the sixth, Allegheny used two-out rally in the sixth to push across three runs on four hits to invoke the run rule.

For the Bears

• Victoria Mahoney struck out three and scattered three runs (two earned) over eight hits for her first victory of the season to improve to 1-1.
• Brianna Baglino went 2-for-3 with two RBI in game one and picked up a hit in game two.
• Amber Wainwright batted 5-for-6 on the day and wrapped up the southern trip on a five-game hitting streak.
• Kelsie Whalen also hit successfully in both games and had a RBI double in the opener.

Next Up for the Bears

• The Bears will christen their new home field, Gil Hodges Field, hosting John Jay College on Friday (Mar. 16), in a doubleheader starting at 3:30 p.m. Live stats on SJCBears.com