New York, N.Y.— The 2007 John Jay softball team  opened their season today by splitting a pair of games this afternoon as the Bloodhounds lost the first game of a twin bill to SUNY Purchase 12-3 before defeating the Panthers in game two, 14-6. Both games were won via an eight run mercy rule as John Jay stands at 1-1 on the season.

 

In the first game SUNY Purchase jumped out to a 3-0 lead and never trailed in the contest. Despite only getting two hits (both of which were homeruns), SUNY Purchase capitalized on 15 bases on balls by starting pitcher Dayna Navatta (Queens, NY/ Bayside), making her NCAA pitching debut this afternoon, as well as five unearned runs, four of which came off a grand slam homerun off the bat of Emily Stanley (Holmes, NY/ Carmel) in the top of the fifth inning.

 

The Bloodhounds got a run back in the bottom of the first when Navatta scored off a throwing error by the SUNY Purchase catcher after stealing third.

 

After the Panthers got another run back in the top of the third, John Jay answered with a run of their own on an RBI single off the bat of freshman infielder Danielle Bonici (Staten Island, NY/ St. Peter’s Girls) driving in Soely Sanchez (Bronx, NY/ Franklin Lane), who got on base with the first hit of the game, then moved over to third after two consecutive wild pitchers by the Purchase hurler.

 

However Purchase pulled away with four unearned runs in the top of the fourth inning, followed  by four earned runs in the top of the fifth to take a 12-2 lead.

 

The Bloodhounds managed a run back in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI groundout by Sanchez to drive in Pamela Peralta (Bronx, NY/ John F Kennedy), but not enough as Bonici popped up to shortstop to end the game.

 

In the second game the Bloodhounds led gate to wire in the win. John Jay scored a run in the first and four in the third to take a 5-0 lead.

 

The Panthers got two runs each in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings, but John Jay mustered four runs in the fourth and five more sixth to take an eight run lead  and go on to win.

 

Erica Esposito (Dix Hills, NY/ Half Hollow Hills) making her John Jay debut fanned 10 batters over six innings to pick up the win and improve to 1-0 on the season.

Bonici went 4-for-4 in the nightcap with two singles, a triple, and a homerun, a three run blast to centerfield, a part of the pivotal fourth inning that broke the game open. She also contributed four runs batted in and three runs scored. Marina Gomez (Bronx, NY/ Clinton), in her first NCAA start went 2-for-4 with three runs batted in and a run scored, while veteran infielder Diana Lopez (Richmond Hill, NY/ Richmond Hill) went 2-for-3 with three runs scored and a run batted in.