Lady Bears Turn Game-Ending Double Play to Hold Off Edgewood

TUCSON, AZ – The St. Joseph's College softball team earned their second ever victory at the Tucson Invitational Games in their fifth appearance, and improved to 5-0 to start the season defeating Edgewood College 4-2 on Thursday afternoon at Lincoln Field.

Sophomore Lisa Scheer (Bayside, NY/Mary Louis) led St. Joseph's delivering the game-winning two-RBI single in the third inning.  Danielle Marino (Maspeth, NY/Mary Louis) and Caitlyn Kakavas (Bayside, NY/St. Agnes) picked up the other two hits for the Lady Bears and Millicia Malvasio (Brooklyn, NY/Bishop Kearney) also had an RBI.

Alyson Chiaramonte (Staten Island, NY/Moore Catholic) improved to 3-0 in the circle giving up only one earned run on six hits, striking out four and walking one.

Edgewood College (0-2) was led by Emily Monson who knocked three hits, with a double, scoring once.  Rachel Elliott took the loss (0-1) giving up four runs (all earned) on three hits, striking out four and walking four.

Edgewood struck first in the top of the first inning on a lead off single by Monson.  After Chiaramonte walked the next batter, Jessica Spitzer singled to left field scoring Monson.  The Eagles scored another run on the play on a Lady Bears error.  But that would be all the scoring for Edgewood, after stranding runners on second and third.

St. Joseph's threatened in the bottom half of the first, stranding Marino and Malvasio on second and third, but finally got on the board in the second, taking the lead for good, scoring three runs on only one hit.  Emily Palmieri (Staten Island, NY/St. John's Villa) was hit by a pitch to lead off and Jackie Marinello (Brooklyn, NY/Fontbonne Hall) followed with a walk.  Elliot struck out the next batter, but walked Mabel Vargas (Ridgewood, NY/Mary Louis) to load the bases.  Marino then popped up for the second out.  Elliot then hit Malvasio to bring in St. Joseph's first run and Scheer then delivered a two-out single to left scoring Marinello and Vargas to take a 3-2 lead.

Chiaramonte then settled in the circle, retiring the Eagles in order in the third and fourth innings and allowing only a single runner the fifth and sixth innings.

St. Joseph's added an insurance run in the second with Kakavas leading off with a double down the left field line.  She advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on another wild pitch.

That run was crucial as Edgewood threatened in the final frame.  Another St. Joseph's miscue allowed the leadoff pinch-hitter Claire Blake to reach.  Chiaramonte struck out the second batter, but a double by Monson put runners at second and third with the number two batter due up and the tying run on second base.  However, the Lady Bears defense ended the game with a clutch double-play throwing out the runner at first and doubling Monson at second.

St. Joseph's plays Prairie State College in their second game of the day.  The Lady Bears will face Edgewood College again tomorrow, March 26th at 12:00 p.m. EST (9:00 a.m. PST).  Fans can follow the live game stats by checking on www.sjcbears.com.