Softball Gameday: Lady Bears vs. Wisconsin-Superior and Brockport

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – St. Joseph's (0-4) concludes their Florida trip as they take part in the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic on Thursday, March 20th with matchups against University of Wisconsin-Superior (11-4) at 11 a.m. and The College at Brockport (7-3) at 1 p.m.

Game Information

St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) (0-4) vs. University of Wisconsin-Superior (11-4)

Thursday, March 20th • 11 a.m.
Lee County Sports Complex • Fort Myers, Fla.

St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) (0-4) vs. The College at Brockport (7-3)

Thursday, March 20th • 1 p.m.
Lee County Sports Complex • Fort Myers, Fla.

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Storylines

• The Lady Bears look for their first wins of the 2014 season.
• St. Joseph's meets Wisconsin-Superior and Brockport for the first time in school history.
• The Lady Bears look to slow down a Yellow Jackets offense that has nine home runs in 15 games this season.
• Brockport tries to build off its 22-16 record a year ago, including a 15-3 mark in SUNYAC play.
• St. Joseph's looks to breakthrough against a Golden Eagle staff that maintained a 2.93 ERA last season and held opponents to a .253 batting average.

Series History

vs. Wisconsin-Superior: First Meeting

vs. Brockport: First Meeting

The Bear Facts

St. Joseph's comes off a 2013 season that was a transition year for the program after losing several key starters that went to four consecutive USCAA National Tournaments. The Lady Bears finished 15-17-1 a year ago for their first losing record since 2008, but return several key contributors from a year ago.

St. Joseph's looks to get back to the USCAA National Tournament for the first time since going for four consecutive years in a streak that ended in 2012. The Lady Bears return seven players from a year ago, but coach Carbone and his staff also welcome in eight new players who look to make a mark in their first year with the team.

Outfielder Maria Randazzo is the top returning hitter for St. Joseph's from a year ago. The sophomore hit .434 in 53 ABs, scoring 13 runs and driving in nine runs. The leading run producer for the Lady Bears from last year also returns in catcher/second baseman Cassandra Molinari. The junior had 28 RBI and batted .359 in 92 ABs, while also pitching seven innings on the season, allowing only one earned run. Molinari has started the 2014 season on a tear, batting a team-high .545 (6-for-11) over the first four games.

The leading returnee in the circle is Jackie Perillo who went 7-6 a year ago in 68 1/3 innings of work in her first year pitching, throwing a no-hitter against New Rochelle on April 4th. The junior also plays in the outfield and is a threat at the plate, hitting .325 a year ago with a team-high-tying three home runs, scored a team-high 28 runs and knocked in 19 runs.

The Buzz

Wisconsin-Superior has started to play well as of late, having won seven in a row and 11 of their last 12 games after starting the season 0-3. The Yellow Jackets are looking to continue their good start in neutral site games, going 11-4 so far this season.

Offensively, Wisconsin-Superior uses the long ball to its advantage with nine home runs on the season and the pitching staff carries a respectable 2.70 ERA into today's matchup.

Kristen Haider has started the season on a tear for the Yellow Jackets, batting a team-high .500 (21-for-42) on the year with 11 runs scored and six RBIs. Elle Niemela brings a .289 (11-for-38) batting average into today's game and is tied for the team lead with 12 RBIs.

Nicolle Gross, named to the Superior Dome Tournament all-tournament team earlier this season, leads Wisconsin-Superior in the circle with a 6-2 record and 1.98 ERA in 53.0 innings. The Yellow Jackets also use Sarah Hendrickson who has a 3-2 mark and a 3.68 ERA in 32 1/3 innings.

Inside the Eagles Nest

Brockport is coming off a season in which they won the program's first SUNYAC regular season championship since 1997 after posting a 15-3 conference mark and 22-16 mark overall. The Golden Eagles are picked second in the SUNYAC preseason poll and have had nine straight winning season, with at least 20 games won each year.

Brockport returns their top four hitters from a year ago led by Susanna Johnson who hit .333 with 10 RBIs. All-SUNYAC Second Team selection junior third baseman Emily Dumas returns after hitting .325 with four homers and 18 RBIs a year ago. Also returning is junior first baseman Sarah Rosenbarker who led the team with five home runs and 19 RBIs and hit .324 on the year.

The Golden Eagles return their top three pitchers from a year ago paced by All-SUNYAC First Team selection sophomore Korey Kibling who went 9-3 with a 2.35 ERA in 83 1/3 innings. Fellow sophomore Jaime Berger went 10-7 in the circle posting a 2.51 ERA in 106 innings.

Team Comparison

* Wisconsin-Superior Stats are for 13 games.

Lady Bears	Nickname	Yellow Jackets	Golden Eagles
0-4	Record	11-4	7-3
HVIAC	Conference	WIAC	SUNYAC
Roster | Schedule | Statistics	Team Info	Roster | Schedule | Statistics	Roster | Schedule | Statistics
Cassandra Molinari (.545)	Top Avg.	Kristen Haider (.500)	Sarah Rosenbarker (.469)
Kristin Ferrigno (3)	Top RBI	Elle Niemela (12)	Andrea Schell (7)
Jackie Perillo (2)	Top K	Nicolle Gross (25)	Jaime Berger (30)
.207	Bat. Avg.	.293	.336
.232	Slugging	.420	.381
.301	OBP	.361	.394
9	Runs	64	57
17	Hits	102	96
7	RBI	56	47
0	SB	20	21
14.23	ERA	2.70	1.40
.439	Opp. Avg.	.265	.201
3/34	K/BB	47/16	64/34
.917	Field %	.956	.942