Softball Closes Regular Season On Four-Game Streak Blanking Yeshiva

BRONX, N.Y. — Junior Victoria Mahoney (Allenwood, N.J./Saint John Vianney) fired a one-hitter and struck out 17 over 11 innings of work to lead the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) softball team to a Skyline Conference doubleheader sweep of Yeshiva University on Sunday evening in their regular-season finale.

The offense supported her with 19 runs on 26 hits with Kelsie Whalen (Florence, N.J./Notre Dame) and Nicole Quintana (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) knocking four hits and scoring three times each to help the Bears move into position to qualify for their first Skyline Conference postseason needing a Farmingdale State sweep Sarah Lawrence tomorrow to clinch.

The Basics

• Final Scores: St. Joseph's 10, Yeshiva 0 (5 inn); St. Joseph's 9, Yeshiva 0 (6 inn)
• Records: SJC Brooklyn (12-18, 5-11), Yeshiva (2-25, 0-14)
• Location: Bronx, N.Y. — Fordham University

Game 1: St. Joseph's 10, Yeshiva 0 (5 innings)

• Three batters into the contest Amber Wainwright (Taunton, Mass./Taunton) launched her first collegiate home run, a two-run blast to start a six-run frame. After the home run, the Bears rapped five straight singles with Whalen and Stephanie Rancel (Middle Village, N.Y./Christ the King) both bringing home a run and Sarah Kampuries (Ozone Park, N.Y./John Adams) delivering home a pair.
• Mahoney remained in control in the circle recording six of her first seven outs via strikeout and spread hits out hits in the first, third, and fifth innings.
• The offense delivered a pair of runs in the second and another pair in the fourth on a Megan Finnerty (Whitestone, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) single down the line and a Brianna Baglino (Howard Beach, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) sacrifice fly.

Game 2: St. Joseph's 9, Yeshiva 0 (6 innings)

• Both pitchers surrendered just three hits combined over the first three scoreless innings before the Bears erupted for four runs in the fourth, knocking three straight hits to open the inning, but all coming across with two outs. Finnerty opened the scoring with a single to left and Baglino followed with an infield single and Jessica Vento (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) capped scoring with an opposite-field, two-run single.
• After five scoreless innings in the first, Mahoney remained in control throughout the nightcap facing just three batters over the minimum, giving up her only hit in the first, a hit batter in the fourth and a lone walk in the sixth.
• A Gabriela Fielding (Melville, N.Y./Half Hallow Hills) sac fly tacked on a run in the fifth and the Bears took advantage of three straight walks to assemble a four-run sixth to reach the run rule. Quintana belted a bases-loaded two-run double to open the scoring in the sixth followed by Daniela Trani (Staten Island, N.Y./Moore Catholic) and Maria Gentile (Brooklyn, N.Y./Fontbonne Hall) following with an RBI sacrifice fly and single, respectively.

For the Bears

• All 11 Bears that batted on the evening knocked a hit and drove in a run in either end of the twinbill with seven players knocking a hit in both ends.
• Kelsie Whalen (4-for-6, 3 R, 2B) and Nicole Quintana (4-for-7, 3 R, 2B) led the squad with four hits on the night.
• Amber Wainwright (3-for-6, HR, 3B, 2 R, 2 BB) home run was the second of the season for the team.
• Maria Gentile (3-for-6, 2 RBI, 2 R), Jessica Vento (3-for-6, 2 RBI, 3 R), Megan Finnerty (2-for-6, 2 RBI, R), and Brianna Baglino (2-for-6, 2 RBI, 2 R) all finished with multiple hit and RBI for the doubleheader.
• Mahoney worked all 11 innings in the circle to level her record to 7-7, fanning 17 and allowing just four hits.  

Next Up for the Bears

• With their regular season complete and currently tied with Sarah Lawrence, the Bears await the result of the Sarah Lawrence at Farmingdale State doubleheader tomorrow starting at 3:30 p.m. A pair of Sarah Lawrence losses would give the Bears their first postseason appearance in the Skyline Conference Championship and would enter as the No. 6 seed to face either Farmingdale State or Mount Saint Vincent in the single-elimination first round on Wednesday.