Softball Salvages Split With Mount Saint Mary, Winning Series 3-1

PATCHOGUE, N.Y. — The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) softball team saw their seven-game winning streak come to an end with an 11-3 loss to Mount Saint Mary but rebounded with a 14-6 victory in game two to claim the season series with the Knights, 3-1, on Saturday afternoon at the SJC Outdoor Field Complex.

Nicole Trani (Staten Island, N.Y./Moore Catholic) launched a homer for the second-day as part of a three-RBI afternoon. Arianna Heinsch (Brooklyn, N.Y./Fontbonne Hall) knock four hits over the twinbill and drove in a pair of runs. Vanessa Quigley (Staten Island, N.Y./New Dorp) had a three-RBI effort in game two.

Game 1: Mount Saint Mary 11, St. Joseph's 3 (5 innings)

• The Bears drew first blood with a solo run in the second after Arianna Heinsch (1-1, RBI, BB, SB) brought home Alexis Buchanan (1-2, R, SB) who led the frame off with a walk. 
• After the Knights countered with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the second, the Bears drew even at 2-all in the top of the third after Ashley Hartwig (1-2, R, 3B) belted a triple and scored on a Casey Bennett (0-2, RBI, SAC) sacrifice squeeze.
• But the visitors would break the game open with a five-run third with back-to-back two-run base knocks by Nicole Rosner and Lauren Farina helping the Knights move ahead 7-2.
• Trani's (2-3, HR, R, RBI) solo blast in the fifth — her second of the season — momentarily cut the deficit to four, 7-3, before the Knights pushed across four more in the bottom half to end the game after five.

Game 2 (non-conference): St. Joseph's 14, Mount Saint Mary 6 (6 innings)

• The series finale saw an offensive outburst with both teams combining for 26 hits and 20 runs.
• Mount Saint Mary took an early 1-0 lead scoring in the bottom of the first but the Bears went ahead in their next at bat after Quigley (2-4, 3 RBI, R) singled home Buchanan (1-1, RBI, 2 R, 3 SB, BB) and Maeve McKeon (1-2, RBI, R, 2 BB, SB) who led off with walks.
• Another solo run for the Knights tied the game at 2-all after two, but the Bears went on top for good with four in the third, Buchanan, Brianna Kilimet (1-3, RBI, R), Quigley and Heinsch (3-4, RBI, R, 2 SB) all driving in runs to move ahead 6-2.
• Morgan O'Neill lifted the first of her two homers in third to cut the deficit to 6-3 but the Bears got the run back in the top of the fourth on a McKeon two-out single. O'Neill would deliver a three-run blast in the bottom of the fourth to bring the Knights within one, 7-6.
• But the Bears pulled away with seven unanswered, hanging four in the fifth and three in the sixth to reach the eight-run threshold. A Trani (1-5, 2 RBI, R) two-run single highlighted the fifth with two more scoring on Knights errors. 
• Vivian Tomovich (2-4, 2 RBI, 2 R) delivered a two-run single of her own in the sixth and later scored on a Jessica Mecham (0-4, 2 RBI, 2 R, SB) sac fly.
• Allison Kaspar (W, 2.2 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 0 K) picked up the win in the circle in relief working 2.2 scoreless innings to level her record at 2-2.

On Deck

The Bears open their four-game series with Purchase College (0-12, 0-9) on Saturday, April 17 with a road doubleheader starting at noon.