New York, N.Y.— The John Jay softball team used a seven run frame in the sixth inning to surge past Brooklyn College, 8-2, in a conference play in game of the 2008 City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) softball tournament. With the win the Bloodhounds advance into the double elimination tournament on Friday. They now stand at 12-21 on the season, while Brooklyn’s season ends at 11-13.
John Jay had eight runs on seven hits, while Brooklyn had two runs on four hits.
“I really liked the fact that our team was able to play in tight spots and recover nicely.” said John Jay head coach Laura Drazdowski. “We definitely came out a little slow at the start and it took a while to find a groove. We finally got that in the later innings.
The host Bloodhounds got the scoring started in the bottom of the first inning. Danielle Bonici (Staten Island, NY / St. Peters Girls) and Arlene Pena (Bronx, NY / Lehman) ripped back to back doubles in the frame to score the run. After Bonici, who was 1-for-2 with two runs, recorded the Bloodhounds’ first hit of the game, Pena followed suit and drove in Bonici.
The game remained that way into the fourth inning when the Bridges broke though and gained the lead. Brooklyn got its first four runners on base to start the frame. Brooklyn’s Kristen Ingenito (Woodhaven, NY / Martin Luther), Kristen Corvino (Brooklyn, NY / Bishop Kearney) and Rohima Begum (Brooklyn, NY / Thomas Edison) all reached base via consecutive walks to load the bases. Brooklyn’s next batter Christina McDonnell (Staten Island, NY / Staten Island Tech) ripped a double to center to score Ingenito and Corvino to give the Bridges the lead. And with no body out and runners on second and third, the Bridges were on the verge of breaking the contest open.
But the Bridges’ next batter, catcher Nicole Bianco (Brooklyn, NY / FDR) ripped a line drive back to the circle that was snagged by starting pitcher Angela Lam (Brooklyn, NY / Newtown) who caught the liner and fired the ball to third to double off Begum at third.
Suddenly with two outs and a runner on second the next batter grounded out weakly to second to end the inning.
Both teams went blow for blow over the middle innings with the Bridges holding the lead into the bottom of the sixth.
But the Bloodhounds came alive as they took the lead and drew clear to secure the win.
Brooklyn miscues contributed to the inning as the Bloodhounds capitalized with five of the seven runs in the inning being unearned.
John Jay got the inning started when Nina Chao (Woodside, NY / Bryant), who was 2-for-4 with a run, scorched a double to right to lead off the inning. Next batter Marlenne Nunez (Bronx, NY / Bronx Leadership) recorded a single and advanced to second on the throw as Chao moved to third. Christina Perez (Brooklyn, NY / James Madison) then reached on an error by the Brooklyn pitcher, a pop up that was dropped, to load the bases. Jasmine Miranda (Passaic, NJ / Passaic) hit a groundball to second, but the throw home to get the force was not in time as Chao slid home to tie the game. After another fielder’s choice to second was successful at home, Lam then came up and put down a sacrifice bunt that was not fielded cleanly as Perez slid home to give the Bloodhounds a 3-2 lead.
But John Jay was not done. Alyce Miraglia (Lindenwood, NY / Stella Maris) was hit by the pitch with the bases loaded to score Miranda.
The Bloodhounds added to the lead as Bonici ripped a shot to center that was dropped by the Brooklyn center fielder that scored Marina Gomez (Bronx, NY / DeWitt Clinton) and Lam. Finally the Bloodhounds cleaned the bases on a two run single by Pena that scored Bonici and Miraglia to give John Jay a six run lead.
“I think we were a little tentative at the plate early on and it took a while to get settled in,” said Drazdowski. “But once we got into a rhythm we started hitting the way we are capable of.”
John Jay starting pitcher, Lam, and Brooklyn’s Jaime Bellettini (Glendale, NY / Franklin Lane) went the distance respectively. Lam pitched seven full and allowed two runs on four hits while striking out five. Bellettini went 6.0 and allowed eight runs (three earned) on seven hits.
