Softball Grounds Golden Eagles to Advance in Skyline Championship
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
#5 St. Joseph's (Bklyn) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 0 |
|
#4 St. Joseph's (L.I.) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 3 |
PATCHOGUE, N.Y. — Meeting for the third time in four days, No. 5-seeded St. Joseph's University Brooklyn defeated sibling rivals No. 4-seeded St. Joseph's University Long Island, 6-4, in the opening round of the 2022 Skyline Conference Softball Championship on Tuesday evening.
With the victory, the Bears (23-12) record their first Skyline playoff victory in team history in three appearances since joining the league in the 2015-16 season. SJBK will advance to the double-elimination portion of the tournament and will face No. 1-seeded Farmingdale State on Thursday.
Senior Alexis Buchanan (Murrieta, Calif./Murrieta Valley) drove in a pair of runs with a sacrifice fly and her first collegiate home run. Senior Jessica Mecham (West Jordan, Utah/Copper Hills) went six strong innings in the circle to collect the win and junior Sierra Bedrin (Rocklin, Calif./Whitney) worked out of a jam in the seventh for the save.
How it Happened
The Bears scored first with a triplet of runs in the second and never trailed. Sophomore Bella Gomez (Whittier, Calif./Sonora) laced a double to the track in left to open the scoring, Buchanan brought home a run with a sac fly and Ashleigh Hartwig (Santee, Calif./West Hills) punched a two-out single for a 3-0 lead but the Golden Eagles (16-14) got one back in the bottom half.
Buchanan lifted a ball over the wall in left with two outs to extend the lead to 4-1. Brooklyn carried the three-run cushion into the sixth as Mecham looked strong in the circle allowing just three hits over the first five innings, but a two-out hit by Long Island scratched out a solo run.
The Bears would get two needed insurance runs in the seventh both scoring with two-outs. Autumn Poppett (San Diego, Calif./Mission Hills) punched a single through the right side and an SJLI miscue allowed another run home.
The Golden Eagles threatened in the seventh and knocked Mecham out of the circle, the senior leaving with a 6-3 lead and a runner at second. Bedrin struck out the first batter she saw, but the potent top of the Long Island lineup came up. Another hit by the league's leading hitter brought a two-run game, but Bedrin got the number two and three hitters to fly and lineout to close out the win.
Highlights
SB (Highlight) | Gomez laces a double to the warning track to open the scoring in the 2nd. #SkylineSB pic.twitter.com/U5ydZPqTpu
— St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) Bears (@SJCBears) May 3, 2022
SB (Highlight) | Hartwig smacks a two-out RBI single to cap off the three-run 2nd. #SkylineSB pic.twitter.com/GLeLfeOHCL
— St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) Bears (@SJCBears) May 3, 2022
SB (Highlight) | Buchanan blasts her first collegiate HR with a solo shot in the fourth to stretch the SJBK lead to 4-1. #SkylineSB pic.twitter.com/GMf2FqL7eX
— St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) Bears (@SJCBears) May 3, 2022
SB (Highlight) | Poppett finds the hole on the right side with 2 outs for a needed insurance run in the 7th. #SkylineSB pic.twitter.com/BWzJOyqal0
— St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) Bears (@SJCBears) May 3, 2022
SB (Highlight) | Bedrin gets Ness, one of the top SJLI hitters, to lineout to end the game and complete the save. #SkylineSB pic.twitter.com/1fwtVQCSry
— St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) Bears (@SJCBears) May 3, 2022
For the Bears
- Buchanan finished 1-for-3 with two RBI. Her solo blast was also the 21st home run by the Bears this season, extending a new single-season team record that was broken on Sunday.
- Gomez and Poppett both went 2-for-4 with a RBI, run, and a double.
- Mecham improved to 6-3 in the circle on the season and collected her 22nd career victory. In six innings of work, she struck out two and allowed four runs on seven hits.
- Bedrin allowed one hit and struck out one picking up the final three outs for her first collegiate save.
- Hartwig also finished 2-for-4 with a RBI to round out three multi-hit efforts.
Next Up
The Bears travel to top seed and tournament host Farmingdale State on Thursday, May 5 to open double-elimination play. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. with live stats and video on SJCBears.com/live.