Softball Drops Two on Second Day of Tucson Invitational
(TUCSON, AZ) St. Joseph's College women's softball lost to Amherst College 7-0 and Otterbein College 4-0 on Friday afternoon at the Tucson Invitational Games. The Lady Bears fall to 1-3 on the season.
The opening game was a matchup between two vastly different programs. Amherst has one of the oldest and largest Division III athletic programs in the nation sporting 27 varsity teams, while St. Joseph's in their second year of NCAA Division III provisional status currently sports 10 varsity teams.
Amherst loaded the bases in the first inning and cleared them with a two-out double to right center to take a 3-0 lead and added another run in the next inning. Starting pitcher Lisa Sheer(Queens, NY/Mary Louis) retired the side in order in the third and pitched out of a no-out bases loaded jam in the fourth getting the 3-4-5 hitters to pop and line out to the infield. St. Joseph's errors allowed three more runs to score in the fifth.
St. Joseph's only managed one base runner against starter Alex Chang-Graham, Danielle Kramer(Queens, NY/Martin Luther) singling to right field for her first hit of the season. Chang-Graham stuck out 10, keeping the Lady Bears bats quiet for most of the game. Lisa Sheer (0-2) received the loss, giving up four earned runs.
In the second game, Otterbein scored two runs in both the second and third innings, utilizing bunts to generate offense. Starting pitcher Alyson Chiaramonte(Staten Island, NY/Moore Catholic) was also called for three illegal pitches for resetting her hands while on the mound, which accounted for one run scoring and flustered St. Joe's momentarily. Despite falling behind 4-0, the Lady Bears defense held strong preventing an Otterbein runner on third from scoring in the final three innings.
Emily Palmieri (Staten Island, NY/St. John's Villa) and Jennifer Safi(Brooklyn, NY/Bishop Kearney) had the only two hits for St. Joseph's, but the Lady Bears put the ball in play only striking out three times and Otterbein made some great defensive plays that robbed the Lady Bears of a few hits. The Lady Bears also drew three walks for the game. Chiaramonte (1-1) received her first collegiate loss, striking one giving up 10 hits and four runs, all earned.
St. Joseph's wraps up their appearance in the Tucson Invitational Games tomorrow facing Pomona-Pitzer College at 11:00 a.m. and St. Mary's University of Minnesota at 1:30 p.m.