Big Innings Lead Lady Bears to Sweep Over Albertus Magnus

BELLEROSE, NY – It took a few innings for St. Joseph's softball team to get going, but once they found their stroke they kept their foot on the gas pedal, utilizing a high-scoring inning in each game to sweep Albertus Magnus 9-1 and 15-2. The Lady Bears are now 11-1 since returning from Florida and sit at 14-4 on the season.

Pitchers Alyson Chiaramonte (Staten Island, NY/Moore Catholic) and Lisa Scheer (Bayside, NY/Mary Louis) each picked up a complete game victory as they limited the Falcon offense to just three runs and nine hits in the two games. The game one win was Chiaramonte's tenth of the season, remaining unblemished at 10-0. Scheer evened her record in the nightcap to 4-4.

Caitlyn Kakavas (Bayside, NY/St. Agnes) continues to produce at the plate. She was 4-for-5 over the twin-bill with four runs scored and four RBI. The four RBI give her a team-leading 20 for the season, surpassing her total of 19 for all of last season.

Emily Palmieri (Staten Island, NY/St. John's Villa) and Megan Moran (Syosset, NY/St. Dominic's) provided some pop at the bottom of the lineup. Palmieri was 3-for-4 with three runs and two RBI while reaching base in five of her six plate appearances. Moran also went 3-for-4 in the doubleheader with two runs, three RBI and a stolen base.

Getting the start in the nightcap, junior Jillian Troise (Brooklyn, NY/Bishop Kearney) was a perfect 3-for-3 – the first three hit game of her career. Troise also scored two runs and drove home two.

Game 1 – St. Joseph's 9, Albertus Magnuns 1 (5 inn)

The Falcons came out of the gates swinging, getting hits from Danielle Figueroa and Sam Corso to lead off the game. A stolen base put runners at second and third with nobody out for Albertus. After a strikeout, the Lady Bears were able to get out of the inning unharmed thanks to some superb infield defense. A little tapper back to the mound was scooped up by Chiaramonte, who looked the runner back to third and threw to first for the out. Figueroa then broke for home and Palmieri's throw was on time with Kakavas blocking the plate to complete the double-play.

St. Joseph's didn't have much working with the bats the first time through the order, holding a slight 2-1 edge after three innings. The fourth is where the Lady Bears broke it open. A six run inning saw six hits and 12 girls step up to the plate, all after Albertus retired the first two batters. Moran kept the inning alive with a single and stolen base and was driven in by Millicia Malvasio (Brooklyn, NY/Bishop Kearney). Chiaramonte and Kakavas each plated two with singles, and Andrea Sideli (Brooklyn, NY/Bishop Kearney) capped off the inning with an RBI single of her own.

The Lady Bears were able to end the game after five innings when Chiaramonte drove in Danielle Marino (Maspeth, NY/Mary Louis) to put the run-rule into effect.

Game 2 – St. Joseph's 15, Albertus Magnus 2 (5 inn)

The Lady Bears picked up where they left off with the bats, scoring nine runs in the first inning, their highest scoring inning this season. Kakavas brought home the first two runs with a bases-loaded single, followed up by Palmieri's two-RBI single and it was quickly 4-1. Troise, Moran and Malvasio each had RBI hits and Scheer topped the inning off with a two-RBI double.

After a 1-2-3 top half of the inning, St. Joseph's continued the offensive onslaught in the bottom of the second. An RBI walk and a run scored on an error sandwiched a Malvasio two-RBI single and put the Lady Bears up 12, 13-1.

Scheer worked out of some jams in the third and fourth innings and the Lady Bears tacked on two more runs in the third to give Scheer her fourth victory of the season.

The 15 runs scored are the most by the Lady Bears this season.