Softball Back in Action with Four League Games in the Next Two Days

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — For their first games in the month of April, the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) softball team will revert back to Skyline play in an action-packed weekend. On Saturday (Apr. 7) the Bears are set to host Mount Saint Mary at Gil Hodges field for a doubleheader beginning at noon. Then, a day later, they take their talents to Long Island to battle Old Westbury on the road for two more conference tilts.

Saturday, Apr. 7 at 12 & 2 p.m.
vs. Mount Saint Mary

Opponent's Info: Roster | Schedule | Stats
Coverage: Video: Game 1, Game 2 | Live Stats: Game 1, Game 2

Previously

• The Bears enter the weekend at 6-10 overall and 1-3 in the league and will look to snap their current four-game losing streak. Last week (Mar. 28), SJC took on Rutgers-Newark for two road games and failed to come out on top as the Scarlet Raiders' pitching proved to be the difference holding the Bears to one run on the day in a sweep (1-0, 5-1). Junior hurler Victoria Mahoney (Allenwood, N.J./Saint John Vianney) shined in game one, however, going six full while allowing six hits and just one run. St. Joseph's last victory came in the latter half of a doubleheader against Purchase (Mar. 24) as they piled on 19 runs behind a 4-for-4 game (three RBI) from Sarah Kampuries (Ozone Park, N.Y./John Adams) as they won in five innings, 19-11.
• Mount Saint Mary enters play at 5-8 overall but holds a perfect 4-0 mark in Skyline play. In their last time out the Knights snapped a six-game losing streak as they downed Western Connecticut State 4-1 in game two of a twin-bill (Apr. 5). For their four conference victories, MSMC swept Sarah Lawrence (Mar. 24) and Yeshiva (Mar. 25) in respective doubleheaders. Over the course of those four games, the Mount Saint Mary offense caught fire as three players are currently hitting .429 in league play.

Keys to the Contest

• The Skyline has been a very good hitting conference thus far in 2018 as eight of its nine teams are currently batting at least .270. As for the Bears, they rank sixth at .297, but third in hits with 103 to date. SJC's leader in hits, by a wide margin, is corner infielder Amber Wainwright (Taunton, Mass./Taunton) with 19. Wainwright also leads the Bears in doubles (three), average (.463), RBI (eight), slugging (.537), and OBP (.542). Her impressive start has propelled her into the Skyline leaders in hits (fourth), batting average (third), and OBP (third). Mahoney has been St. Joseph's best pitcher thus far, backed up by her team-leading 3.28 ERA and her conference-high 43 strikeouts.
• MSMC's pitching staff has been absolutely lights-out in league play posting a 0.88 ERA over the four games. They are led in the circle by senior Cindy Connoly with her 3.06 ERA and 49 strikeouts as opposed to just two walks. Even more impressive is Connoly's exploits at the plate, as she leads the team in batting average (.421), hits (16), RBI (11), slugging (.579), and OBP (.465). The Knights are 4-1 on the season when scoring at least four runs, and in order to limit their offensive production SJC must first limit Connoly while also not letting her get into a groove in the circle.

History

• A year ago the Bears were swept by MSMC in their two-game set (Apr. 4) as their offense struggled in 5-0 and 5-1 losses.

Sunday, Apr. 8 at 12 & 2 p.m.
at Old Westbury

Opponent's Info: Roster | Schedule | Stats
Coverage: Live Stats

Previously

• Old Westbury has enjoyed a strong start in non-league play as they currently sit at 5-3 overall, but 0-2 in the conference. Postponements have severely impacted their number of games played, as their last outing was a rescheduled doubleheader against Hunter that they split (Apr. 5). Their only Skyline action came against SJC Long Island (Mar. 31) in a two-game set. The Panthers dropped game one 6-5 in extra-innings (nine) and followed with a 13-7 loss in game two. Before taking on SJCBK on Sunday, OW hosts Farmingdale State as they return to conference play.

Keys to the Contest

• The Panthers enter the weekend atop the Skyline in batting average (.354) and their lineup amazingly features five players hitting at least .400. Their leader in the category is junior infielder Jessica Livingston as her .522 mark also tops the league. Classmate Nicole Baron has been Old Westbury's ace thus far, leading the staff in ERA (2.95), wins (tied, 2), and complete games (three). Sophomore hurler Lauren Bloom is no slouch in the circle either, compiling a 3.15 ERA, 2-0 record, and 19 strikeouts in 20 innings pitched thus far.

History

• The last time SJC traveled to Old Westbury was last year (Apr. 29) and they'd like to duplicate the results as the Bears came away with a doubleheader sweep (8-2, 4-1).