Bennett Goes Yard as Softball Splits With Mount Saint Vincent

PATCHOGUE, N.Y. — The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) softball team (13-4, 10-4) extended their win streak to six with a 6-4 triumph over the College of Mount Saint Vincent (2-8, 2-6) highlighted by Casey Bennett's eventual game-winning three-run blast. SJC raced out to a 5-0 lead in game two but had to settle for a split as the Dolphins battled back to hand the Bears a 15-10 defeat on Saturday afternoon in Skyline Conference action from the SJC Outdoor Field Complex.

Bennett would finish the afternoon with four hits — three going for extra bases — and five RBI. Ashleigh Hartwig collected five hits on the day and extended her hit streak to 15 games.

Game 1: St. Joseph's 6, Mount Saint Vincent 4

• Following a pair of quick innings with Bears starter Jessica Mecham striking out three of the first six Dolphins, the Bears opened the scoring off the bat of Sierra Bedrin (1-3, RBI, R) in the third, whose single to left brought home Vivian Tomovich (1-2, 2 R).
• The next half inning saw the Dolphins retaliate, courtesy of a Katie Hutter double to plate Alicia Blevins. Hutter scored on a single by Jocelyn Vega to take a 2-1 lead and help her cause in the circle.
• A Tomovich single sandwiched between a pair of walks loaded the bases to begin the bottom of the fifth. Arianna Heinsch's (0-2, RBI) sacrifice fly drove home the tying run from third before Tomovich scored her second run of the game on Hartwig's (1-3, RBI, R) RBI single; giving the Bears the 3-2 edge.
• Still in the fifth, with runners on the corners, Bennett (1-3, HR, 3 RBI, R) belted a three-run shot to left — the first of her collegiate career — increasing the lead to 6-2, which they carried into the 7th.
• The Dolphins made a last-chance effort in the seventh after a Bears miscue helped extend the inning. Lakisha Camacho's two-out double halved the Bears lead and brought the tying run to the plate, but the comeback bid would fall short as over-aggressive baserunning saw the final out come on the basepaths.
• Mecham (7.0 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 3 K) went the distance in the circle to pick up her league-high-tying seventh win of the season, improving to 7-1. 
• Alexis Buchanan (2-3, 2 2B) was the only Bear to finish with multiple hits, knocking a pair of doubles. 

Game 2: Mount Saint Vincent 15, St. Joseph's 10

• After a swift opener, the pace slowed in the second as both offenses erupted and combined for 25 hits and 38 hits. The Bears raced out to an early 5-0 lead after one as Bennett started the scoring with a double and Buchanan followed with a two-run single. A Dolphin miscue allowed Buchanan home and Gabriella Salvador (0-1, RBI) capped the five-run frame with a sac fly.
• The Dolphins would not let the Bears cruise to a sweep and scored six unanswered, hanging a trio of runs in the 2nd and 3rd to take the lead — highlighted by Aimee Vega's two-run blast in the 2nd.
• St. Joseph's jumped ahead with three of their own in the bottom of the third. Allison Kaspar (0-0 R, BB) scored with heads-up baserunning on a shallow fly to tie the game at 6-all. Mauve McKeon (3-4, R, 2B) scored on an error after belting a double earlier in the frame and Hartwig's double pushed the lead to 8-6.
• The visitors would move on top for good in the fifth, plating five runs, all but one scoring unearned as a result of three Bear errors. CMSV followed it up with four more unearned runs in the sixth to take a 15-8 advantage.
• SJC mustered some momentum in the sixth to try to jumpstart a comeback loading the bases with only one out, but a popup and flyout left the Bears empty handed for the third straight frame. Despite 18 hits for the game, SJC was plagued with 13 runners stranded.
• In the seventh, the heart of the Bears order — Nicole Trani (3-4, 2 R), Hartwig (4-5, RBI, 2 R, 2B), Bennett (3-5, 2 RBI, R, 2B), and Buchanan (2-5, 3 RBI, R) —  led off the inning with four straight singles and scoring two runs to start the comeback bid, but the rally fizzled out and the Bears settled for a split of the doubleheader.
• Mecham (4 IP, 1 ER, 2 K) took the loss in the circle after entering in relief in the fourth. Only one of her nine runs scored earned as she fell to 7-2 — her first loss in eight decisions.

Schedule Change

The series-ending doubleheader between the Bears and Dolphins scheduled for Sunday, April 25 on the campus of Purchase College has been postponed due to the threat of inclement weather and poor field conditions. A make-up date is yet to be determined.

The Bears are scheduled to return to the SJC Outdoor Field Complex next weekend to face sibling rivals SJC Long Island in a road doubleheader on Saturday, May 1 starting at noon. Live stats and video will be available on SJCBears.com.