Lady Bears Comeback Bid to Penn State Beaver Falls Short Ending Nationals Run

AKRON, OH – The #6 St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) softball team entered the 2012 United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Softball National Championships with high hopes, but saw them dashed with a disappointing 3-2 loss to #7 Penn State Beaver, eliminating them from contention for their first national title.

St. Joseph's (26-12) was held scoreless until their final at-bat and assembled a rally loading the bases with no out, scoring two runs before the game ended with the bases still loaded and the tying run on third.

The Lady Bears were plagued by a team-worst seven errors, allowing two of the three Beaver runs to score unearned.  Despite the errors, the game remained a 0-0 deadlock through four innings in a pitchers' duel between two USCAA All-Americans Alyson Chiaramonte (Staten Island, NY/Moore Catholic) and Korey Freyermuth.

After being held to two hits in their opening round loss, the Lady Bears threatened in opening frame loading the bases with a leadoff single by Millicia Malvasio (Brooklyn, NY/Bishop Kearney) later followed by Lisa Scheer (Bayside, NY/Mary Louis) and Caitlyn Kakavas (Bayside, NY/St. Agnes) walks, but unable to get any runs across.

Both hurlers kept the game scoreless until Beaver broke the deadlock in the fifth inning aided by two Lady Bear miscues that loaded the bases and the second error allowing the game's first run to score.

Beaver posted two more runs in the sixth inning on a pair of triples from Myranda Raymond and Sydney Brinton, both scoring on squeeze bunts.

With their backs against the wall and needing three runs in their final at-bat, the Lady Bears got off to a quick start with Kakavas drawing a leadoff walk and followed by Cassandra Molinari (Brooklyn, NY/St. Edmund Prep) and Andrea Sideli (Brooklyn, NY/Bishop Kearney) singles to load the bases.  Mabel Vargas (Ridgewood, NY/Mary Louis) dribbled a single to the infield that allowed Kakavas to score.  The Beaver defense then forced out a runner at home and Freyermuth recorded her fourth strikeout, and the Lady Bears face their final out.  Danielle Marino (Maspeth, NY/Mary Louis) then singled through the right side to cut the deficit to 3-2 and left the bases loaded, but the comeback bid fell short with a force out at third.

Chiaramonte (17-8) took the loss in the circle working six innings and allowing three runs (one earned) on five hits with two strikeouts.

Penn State Beaver moves on to face #5 Briarcliffe College tomorrow at 10 a.m. in another elimination game. It is the second time in four years the Lady Bears were eliminated by Beaver from the national championships.

St. Joseph's will face #8 Penn State Mont Alto tomorrow at 4 p.m. in the seventh place game.  The Lady Bears captured seventh place last year defeating Penn College, 9-1.