Mecham’s One-Hitter, Hartwig’s Homer Highlights Softball Split at Purchase

PURCHASE, N.Y. — The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) softball team (8-9, 5-3 Skyline) bounced back from a game one 5-2 loss to Purchase College (5-9, 2-4 Skyline) erupting for 12 runs and 15 hits in a 12-0 run-rule victory to split a Skyline Conference doubleheader on a rainy Sunday.

In the game two shutout, freshman Jessica Mecham (West Jordan, Utah/Copper Hills) fired a complete-game one-hitter and helped herself driving in four runs. Fellow rookie Ashleigh Hartwig (Santee, Calif./West Hills) launched her team-leading second home run of the season.

Game 1: Purchase 5, St. Joseph's 2

The Bears loaded the bases in their first at bat, but came away empty handed and the Panthers responded with two in the bottom half, to take a 2-0 lead.

SJC got on the board in the third gaining runners at the corners after a Mahoney reached on an error and Alexis Buchanan (Murrieta, Calif./Murrieta) knocked a single and both successfully pulled a double steal of second and home. After Buchanan stole third, Hartwig brought her home with a sacrifice fly to knot the game at 2-2.

The contest remained deadlocked until the sixth with Purchase putting up three runs, Kelly Hayes breaking the tie with a one-out, two-run triple to put the hosts up for good.

Game 2: St. Joseph's 12, Purchase 0 (5 inn)

After being held to six hits in the opener, the Bears bats came alive early in game two, ringing seven hits in the top of the first and building a lead they wouldn't relinquish. SJC loaded the bases for Nicole Quintana (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) who opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly that scored Jessica Vento (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa). The next four batters followed with run-scoring hits with two outs—Mecham, Daniela Trani (Staten Island, N.Y./Moore Catholic), Gabriella Fielding (Melville, N.Y./Half Hallow Hills), and Madison Erhardt (Baltimore, Md./Dulaney) pushing the lead to 5-0.

The five-run cushion was all that Mecham needed as she surrendered her lone hit in the first and issued just two walks all game. The Panthers advanced just one runner past second all game in the third, but Mecham escaped the threat with a groundout.

Mecham helped her cause in the fourth belting a two-out, base-clearing, three-run double, that pushed the lead to 8-0 and Hartwig launched a three-run home run in the fifth to highlight a four-run frame that ballooned the lead to 12-0.

For the Bears

• Jessica Mecham leveled her record in the circle at 3-3 surrendering one hit and two walks in five innings of work, striking out two in her second collegiate shutout. At the plate, she finished 2-for-4 with four RBI, a run, and a double.
• Ashleigh Hartwig finished the doubleheader batting 4-for-7 with four RBI, three runs, a home run, and a sacrifice.
• Alexis Buchanan (2-4, 3 R, RBI), Gabriella Fielding (2-3, RBI, 2B), and Madison Erhardt (2-3, RBI, R) all had multi-hit games in game two. All nine starters finished with a base knock and seven collected an RBI in the combined 15-hit effort.

Next Up for the Bears

The Bears take a break from Skyline Conference play heading to borough rivals Brooklyn College on Thursday (Apr. 4) for a doubleheader starting at 5 p.m.