Chiaramonte, Carbone Reach Milestones in Extra Inning Sweep of Purchase

BELLEROSE, NY - Senior Alyson Chiaramonte (Staten Island, NY/Moore Catholic) notched her 500th career strikeout and 50th win in the circle and head coach Frank P. Carbone earned his 200th career win in dramatic fashion, as the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) softball team swept Purchase College on Tuesday afternoon at Padavan-Preller Fields.

The Lady Bears took the opener 4-1 and jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the nightcap, but outlasted the Panthers, 7-6, in eight innings with a walk-off double by Millicia Malvasio that gave Carbone his milestone victory.

Already the all-time leader in wins and strikeouts, Chiaramonte dominated in the opener striking out 11 and limiting the Panthers to two hits and one run to reach the strikeout milestone. Chiaramonte came in relief in game two, striking out seven more in 4.2 innings, allowing one run and two hits, to reach the win plateau, levelling her record in the circle to 3-3.  Chiaramonte also had a terrific day at the plate going 4-for-7 for the afternoon including a home run, two RBI and a stolen base.

St. Joseph's (4-6) wasted no time posting two runs in the first inning of the opener. Malvasio drew a leadoff walk and Mabel Vargas (Queens, NY/Mary Louis) hit a double to right center. Lisa Scheer (Bayside, NY/Mary Louis) followed with another double to the gap delivering Malvasio and Vargas.

Purchase (2-10) finally got on the board in the fourth, cutting the Lady Bears lead in half, Christina Sanderson scoring on a passed ball after tripling down the right field line. The Lady Bears threatened in the bottom half of the frame, loading the bases with no outs, but were unable to plate any runs.

Chiaramonte gave herself two insurance runs in the fifth belting a two-run homer, her first of the season, also bringing home Scheer who tripled before her. The three-run cushion was more than enough for Chiaramonte who retired the side in order in the final two frames.

The Panthers drew first blood in the nightcap scoring a solo run in the first on a Christine Leo single.  Purchase threatened to score more with runners at second and third with one out, but Danielle Marino (Maspeth, NY/Mary Louis) single-handedly cut down a run at the plate on a bunt attempt and Scheer got out of the inning with a foul popup.

St. Joseph's posted a five-run second inning as Panther starter Cassandra Armstrong experienced some control problems, issuing four walks in the inning before the top of the lineup made her pay with Malvasio, Vargas and Scheer rapping three straight RBI singles, prompting Purchase to bring back game one starter Lindsay Froman.

Froman limited the Lady Bears to one hit over the third, fourth and fifth frames, while the Panthers bats came alive in the fourth. Alexis Vallario belted a solo homer and Sanderson later knocked a two-run home run to cap a four-run inning that tied the game 5-5 and Carbone brought Chiaramonte back into the circle.  

In the bottom of the sixth, the Lady Bears broke through, taking a 6-5 lead on a Vargas two-out single to right that scored Andrea Sideli (Brooklyn, NY/Bishop Kearney) who led the frame off with a single.

One run seemed to be enough for Chiaramonte who dominated all afternoon, but Leo led the seventh off with a drive to center for the Panthers' third home run of the game and tied the game at 6-6.

In the extra inning, the Lady Bears defense held up again erasing the runner placed on second (per the tiebreaker rules) as the Panthers attempted to sacrifice her across.  In the bottom half of the inning, Malvasio delivered the game-winner with a one-out double  to center that scored Cassandra Molinari (Brooklyn, NY/St. Edmund Prep) who started the inning off on second.

Scheer also finished with a four hit afternoon, accumulating a double, triple and team-leading three RBI. Vargas rapped three hits with two RBI. Malvasio collected a pair of hits, RBI and runs scored. Jackie Perillo (Howard Beach, NY/Archbishop Molloy) knocked a pair of hits with a run scored.

St. Joseph's returns to the diamond on Saturday, March 31st looking to level their record in a non-conference doubleheader against York College at Cunningham Park starting at noon.