Baglino Knocks Seven Hits, Gentile Goes Yard in Softball Split With Sarah Lawrence

BRONXVILLE, N.Y. — The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) softball team jumped out to a 4-0 lead but needed a four-run sixth to rally past Sarah Lawrence College in the opening game of the their doubleheader, 8-5, before seeing their comeback bid fall short to sweep the series falling 5-4 on Saturday afternoon at Mary Levine Field. Sophomore Brianna Baglino (Howard Beach, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) led the Bears at the dish batting 7-for-9 over the twinbill.

The Basics

• Final Scores: St. Joseph's 8, Sarah Lawrence 6; Sarah Lawrence 5, St. Joseph's 4
• Records: SJC Brooklyn (7-17, 2-10), Sarah Lawrence (16-10, 5-5)
• Location: Bronxville, N.Y. — Mary Levine Field

Game 1: St. Joseph's 8, Sarah Lawrence 6

• The Bears drew first blood in the third when Brianna Baglino knocked a one-out double in the third and Jessica Vento (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) followed with a single to put runners at the corners and the Bears successfully executed a double steal of second and home.
• St. Joseph's built a 4-0 advantage scoring three runs with two outs in the fourth, Baglino knocked her second double of the game, delivering Nicole Quintana (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) and Kelsie Whalen (Florence, N.J./Notre Dame) and Vento brought Baglino home from second with another single.   
• The Gryphons cut the deficit in half with one swing of the bat on a two-run homer by Karissa McAuley in the fourth and the hosts poured in three runs in the fifth, all with two outs, to jump on top 5-4 and knock SJC starter Victoria Mahoney (Allenwood, N.J./Saint John Vianney) out of the circle.
• But the Bears quickly responded with four in the sixth to go on top for good. After the Megan Finnerty (Whitestone, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) and Vento both reached successfully to start the frame, Amber Wainwright (Taunton, Mass./Taunton) brought them both home with a single and a Gryphon miscue three batters later allowed the two deciding runs to come home.
• Sarah Lawrence picked up a run back in the bottom of the sixth to pull within 8-6, and in the seventh, the Gryphons threatened picking up a leadoff single to bring the tying run to the plate, but Madison Erhardt (Baltimore, Md./Dulaney) completed the four-out save, inducing a pair of grounders and a fly out to center to seal the win.

Game 2: Sarah Lawrence 5, St. Joseph's 4

• The Bears managed just a pair of hits over the first four innings allowing the hosts to race out to a 5-0 lead with two in the first and three in the third.
• The SJC bats awoke in the fifth after Quintana led off with a single and Maria Gentile (Brooklyn, N.Y./Fontbonne Hall) launched her first career home run to put the Bears on the board.
• The bats stayed alive in the fifth picking up two more runs on a Whalen double that scored Wainwright and Daniela Trani (Staten Island, N.Y./Moore Catholic) who both singled earlier in the inning, pulling SJC within one.
• A pair of singles from Baglino and Wainwright put two runners on in the seventh, but the Bears couldn't complete the comeback as a ground out force out allowed the Gryphons to split the series.

For the Bears

• Brianna Baglino had an outstanding day at the dish in the leadoff position finishing 7-for-9 on the day accumulating two RBI, three runs scored, two doubles, and a stolen base.
• Amber Wainwright finished 5-for-8 with two RBI and two runs scored.
• Maria Gentile home run in game two was the first of her career and the first of the season for the Bears.
• Jessica Vento had a multi-hit game in the opener batting 2-for-4 with a RBI.
• Nicole Quintana and Kelsie Whalen both knocked a pair of hits in game two finishing 2-for-3 with Whalen driving in a pair.
• Madison Erhardt's save in game one was the first of her career.

Next Up for the Bears

• The Bears return to the diamond on Sunday (Apr. 22) for a Skyline doubleheader at Farmingdale State starting at noon. Live stats are available at SJCBears.com.