Hartwig’s Great Friday Powers Softball Sweep of Sarah Lawrence on Senior Day

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — In a crucial series with Skyline Conference playoff implications on the line, freshman Ashleigh Hartwig (Santee, Calif./West Hills) batted a perfect 6-for-6 on the day, knocking all extra-base hits to power the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) softball team (14-17, 7-7 Skyline) to 6-1 and 8-0 league wins over Sarah Lawrence College on Friday afternoon at Gil Hodges Field.

Seniors Victoria Mahoney (Allenwood, N.J./Saint John Vianney) and Nicole Quintana (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) drove in two runs apiece on their Senior Day and Mahoney picked up her 24th career win in the circle, moving into solo fifth in the Bears record book.

The victories extended the Bears win streak to four, leveled their conference record at 7-7, and clinched their second-straight Skyline Championship berth with two league games remaining.

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

A big five-run second inning proved to be the difference in the opener. The Bears knocked six of their 11 hits in the contest in the second stanza and all five of their runs scored with two outs. After Hartwig led off the inning with a double, SJC later had runners on second and third with two outs. Quintana brought them both home with a single to left and Jessica Vento (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) followed with a double that scored Quintana from first. Vivian Tomovich (San Diego, Calif./Serra) kept the carousel going plating Vento with a double and Mahoney pushed the lead to 5-0 with a triple—the Bears third extra-base hit of the frame.

Hartwig led off the third again with a double and a Gabriella Salvador (Staten Island, N.Y./New Dorp) delivered her home to extend the lead to 6-0.

Sarah Lawrence threatened in the fifth loading the bases with no one out, but Mahoney came out of the inning surrendering just one run. Mahoney scattered four hits over the other six scoreless innings as she finished off the complete-game effort to improve to 6-9 on the season, allowing eight hits, striking out five and walking none.

Hartwig and Vento both finished the opener a perfect 3-for-3 and Salvador also assembled a multi-hit game batting 2-for-3.

Game 2: St. Joseph's 8, Sarah Lawrence 0 (5 inn)

The Bears kept the bats going in the nightcap scoring a run in every inning putting up solo runs in the first and second, a pair in the third and erupting for four in the fourth.

Hartwig's fourth double of the day opened the scoring in the first plating Mahoney. Mahoney knocked a single up the middle in the second that scored Vento for a 2-0 advantage.

Hartwig led off the third with a solo shot and Brianna Baglino (Howard Beach, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) later doubled in Jessica Mecham (West Jordan, Utah/Copper Hills) to push the lead to 4-0.

The Bears sent back-to-back blasts to put the exclamation point on a four-run fourth. Hartwig punished the Gryphons again with a two-run moon shot to left center and Salvador followed with her first collegiate home run. Baglino doubled in Mecham again to reach the eight-run threshold.

The run support was more than enough for Mecham who fired her second-straight three-hit shutout. The rookie fanned one and walked none to improve to 5-4 in the circle.

Hartwig matched her 3-for-3 effort in the nightcap and Salvador, Mecham and Baglino all finished 2-for-3 as the Bears rang out 13 hits in four batting halves.

For the Bears

• Ashleigh Hartwig batted 6-for-6, accumulating four doubles, two home runs, four RBI, and four runs scored. Her great Friday moved her into the Skyline lead for home runs (4), batting (.479), slugging (.771), RBI (35), and doubles (14). The rookie's two home runs in the nightcap also tied a single-game program record, set three times previously and not since the 2004 season.
• Gabriella Salvador recorded her fourth straight multi-hit game, extending her hitting streak to five games.
• Jessica Mecham moved into a tie for the Skyline lead with her fourth shutout of the season.
• Sarah Lawrence entered the game with a league-best .351 batting. Mahoney and Mecham combined to hold the Gryphons to a .244 batting and just one run.

Next Up for the Bears

The Bears will look to build on their four-game win streak facing Baruch College on Tuesday (April 23) at Randall's Island Field 15, the first of two non-conference doubleheaders next week against CUNYAC foes. St. Joseph's currently holds a 5-0 mark against CUNYAC opposition this season.