Brooklyn, NY - The John Jay softball team can call themselves champions, going back-to-back-to-back. The top-seeded Bloodhounds defeated the No. 4-seeded Baruch College Bearcats, 5-1, to hoist their third straight championship.
The Bloodhounds, who stand at 30-9 overall, will now await their destination in the upcoming NCAA Division III Championships as the selection show is scheduled for Monday, May 12th at 11:00 a.m. ET on NCAA.com. Baruch concludes the season with a 14-24 overall record.
Maleea Gallaspy,
Rylea Sandel,
Kendal Bryant, Oliva Paoli,
Angelina Schoelles, and
Kelly Fajardo had a hit, with Schoelles driving in two RBIs.
Sidney Bankston was credited with the third RBI for the Bloodhounds.
Lindsay Ogden posted her league-leading 13th win of the season and notched her 15th complete game. The Loxahatchee, FL native allowed one run on four hits, while walking four and striking out 10 batters. Over the two games of the tournament, Ogden pitched 11 innings, gave up four hits, one run, seven walks, and struck out 16 batters en route to being named Tournament MVP.
Mina Barriga led the way for the Bearcats with two hits, while Leilani Jimenez and Grace Osuch each had a hit. Jimenez, who earned the start, helped her cause, driving in Baruch's lone RBI of the day.
Jimenez went six innings inside the circle, giving up five runs (two earned) on six hits while walking three and striking out two batters.
Both pitchers threw up zeroes over the first five innings after facing early trouble. In the top of the first, Ogden walked the leadoff batter in Jules Wychunas. She moved to second on the sacrifice bunt from Ava Lavery.
A single to center from Barriga gave Baruch runners on the corner before Ogden regained her composure with a strikeout of Mia Faddah. Jimenez drew a walk to load the bases, but Ogden got a fly out from Bridget Campanelli to end the first.
Gallaspy commenced the first inning with a double to left field before stealing third. Following a strikeout of
Elika Rodrigues, Sandel walked and promptly stole second. It appeared the Bloodhounds were destined for their first run of the game, as Bryant sent a frozen rope that was snagged by the second baseman, who doubled up Sandel to end the inning.
Ogden concluded the fifth inning with her seventh strikeout as the game remained scoreless. In the bottom of the frame, Bankston led off the inning with a walk. Schoelles placed a well-executed bunt, as Bankston moved to second before alertly moving to third as there wasn't anyone covering the base.
The next batter,
Kelly Fajardo, reached on a fielder's choice, as the Baruch third baseman fired a strike to home as Bankston tried to score.
Gallaspy reached first on a throwing error from the third baseman and moved to third on an additional mishap from the second baseman, allowing Fajardo to score the game's first run. John Jay went up 2-0 as Rodrigues reached first on another error, as Gallaspy scored.
Baruch cut the John Jay lead in half, 2-1, as Jimenez doubled in Barriga from first. Ogden retired the next two batters to get out of the sixth.
Bryant led off with a single to center in the bottom of the sixth.
Olivia Paoli reached on an infield single back to the pitcher, giving John Jay runners on first and second.
Natalie Graham advanced the runners on a sacrifice bunt to the pitcher. The next batter, Bankston, reached first on an error by the third baseman, as Bryant scored on the play, making it 3-1.
The big hit in the frame came off the bat of Schoelles, who connected on a hot-shot to right field, scoring both Bankston and Paoli to up the lead to 5-1.
Baruch was down to their last inning. Milagros Arias grounded out to second before Osuch reached on an infield single to short.
Ogden struck out Wychunas for the second out, and the celebration began as Lavery swung over the top of a changeup as the Bloodhounds secured their third-straight league title.
