New York, N.Y.— The John Jay softball team picked up their third win of the season after winning the first game of a doubleheader against SUNY Old Westbury. The Bloodhounds defeated the Panthers 15-5 in the opener before falling to SUNY Old Westbury 7-6 in the nightcap at East River Park on Friday afternoon.

 

John Jay is now 3-9 on the season, while SUNY Old Westbury is 3-5 this season.

 

In the first game the Bloodhounds scored eight runs in the bottom of the first inning to take the lead and cruised to victory.

 

SUNY Old Westbury did draw first blood by jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. But the Bloodhounds mounted a two-out rally in the bottom half of the first frame. A two-run single by Marlenne Nunez (Bronx, NY/ Bronx Leadership) to score Danielle Bonici (Staten Island, NY/ St. Peter’s Girls) and Dayna Navatta (Queens, NY/ Bayside) would tie the game.  Then a two run single by Jennifer Marano (Freeport, NY/ Our Lady of Mercy), breaking an 0-for-19 slump to start the season, came at a critical time as it gave John Jay the lead for good. The seeing eye single would score Nunez and Marina Gomez (Bronx, NY/ DeWitt Clinton) to give the Bloodhounds a 4-2 advantage, and the Bloodhounds would not relinquish the lead.

 

The Bloodhounds got another run off the bat of Soely Sanchez (Bronx, NY/ Franklin Lane), batting for the second time in the inning, as she reached on a fielder’s choice. But a throwing error by the Panthers’ third baseman opened the floodgate a little wider for more Bloodhounds to cross home plate.

 

SUNY Old Westbury got three runs back in the top of the third to cut the margin to 8-5. John Jay answered right back in the bottom half with a four run inning on back-to-back two run singles by Bonici and Gomez to give John Jay a 12-5 advantage at that point.

 

The Bloodhounds added three more runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 15-5 lead. First Marano would score on a wild pitch, then another two-run single by Bonici to score Sanchez and Arlene Pena (Bronx, NY/ Lehman) proved to be more than enough as John Jay held the Panthers in the fifth to no runs to score a mercy rule win.

 

In the second game John Jay got a run in the first and another in the second to take a 2-0 lead after two. But Old Westbury stormed back and took the lead with one swing of the bat as Katora Russell (East Hampton, NY/ East Hampton) blasted a three run homer to left field to give the visiting team a 3-2 advantage.

 

John Jay tied the game in the bottom of the fourth as Katie Koeppel (Danbury, CT/ Danbury) drove in Jasmine Miranda (Passaic, NJ/ Passaic) on a groundout to the shortstop.

 

The tie would be short lived as Old Westbury took the lead for good with a three run inning in the top of the fifth. Pinch hitter Shanelle Brown (Riverhead, NY/ Riverhead) got the barrage started on an RBI single to drive in Jessica Stoddard (Montgomery, NY/ Valley Central). Moments later Stoddard trotted home after an RBI triple by Sheyra Veras (Bronx, NY/ William Howard Taft). Veras then cross home plate on a base hit by Russell.

 

John Jay got one back in the bottom of the frame as Bonici scored on a single by Miranda to make the score 6-4 going into the seventh.

 

In the top of the seventh Old Westbury added an insurance run they eventually needed as the Bloodhounds got two across in the bottom half, and left the tying run in scoring position, as the Bloodhounds lost 7-6.

 

With two outs and nobody on John Jay got a walk from Pam Peralta (Bronx, NY/ John F Kennedy). Next Nunez ripped a single to bring the tying run to the plate. With runners on second and third after a wild pitch, Koeppel smashed a single to drive in Peralta. Then Sanchez’s dribbler to the catcher allowed Nunez to score and put the tying run in scoring position. But the Bloodhounds would get no closer as Old Westbury made the final out to hold on for the win.

 

John Jay will return to action on Sun. Apr. 1 at St. Joseph’s-Patchogue for a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m.