Lady Bears Fall to Rio Piedras to Open Puerto Rico Trip

GUAYNABO, PUERTO RICO – In their first competition outside the continental United States, the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) softball team dropped a narrow 1-0 decision to the University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras in a pitcher's duel that saw only three hits. Rio Piedras went on to take the nightcap 6-0.

Unphased by the new competition the Lady Bears hit the ball hard several times, but Rio Piedras played outstanding defense behind their pitcher using their speed to track down balls and hold the Lady Bears to a one hit, a Cassandra Molinari (Brooklyn, NY/St. Edmund Prep) single to right in the second inning.

The Lady Bears also played outstanding defense behind starter Alyson Chiaramonte (Staten Island, NY/Moore Catholic) who held Rio Piedras to one hit through five innings and struck out seven and walked two in a losing effort.  Rio Piedras opened the fourth inning with a single and a walk and threatened to break the deadlock, but Caitlyn Kakavas (Bayside, NY/St. Agnes) helped end the threat with a double play, stepping on third and throwing across the diamond.

But the Lady Bears defense had one misstep in the final inning of the six inning exhibition, which would lead to the game's only run. Rio Piedras leadoff hitter Yarian Rivera hit a drive up the middle that hopped over the glove of centerfielder Jackie Perillo (Howard Beach, NY/Archbishop Molloy) and rolled to the fence and the Lady Bears couldn't get the ball back in in time, Rivera scoring on the error. 

The Lady Bears defense would rebound to start the nightcap, making a beautiful relay on a triple to right field to pick off the runner after rounding third.  Rio Piedras would still manage to get a solo run on a bases loaded walk later in the inning and continued to add solo runs in the second, third and fifth frames and a pair of runs in the final frame.

Millicia Malvasio (Brooklyn, NY/Bishop Kearney) led off the first for the Lady Bears with a single to right, but St. Joseph's could only managed three scattered hits in the contest, Malvasio finishing 2-for-3 with another single in the sixth.  The Lady Bears assembled their best threat to score in the fourth inning, Mabel Vargas (Queens, NY/Mary Louis) drawing a walk and Lisa Scheer (Bayside, NY/Mary Louis) following with a single with one out, but St. Joseph's stranded them at first and second after a lineout and groundout.

Scheer took the loss for St. Joseph's in the circle allowing six runs (five earned) on 10 hits and striking out two.

Both games are considered exhibition games and will not count towards St. Joseph's overall record nor statistics.

St. Joseph's continues their Puerto Rico trip with a doubleheader on Wednesday, April 4th against Universidad Metropolitana starting at 4 pm.