New Rochelle, NY – The John Jay softball resumed CUNYAC play on Saturday and were pitted in a pitcher's in the opener of the twin bill before falling in game two to the Baruch College Bearcats, 1-0 and 6-2 at Flowers Park.
Game 1: Baruch 1, John Jay 0
Game one featured a defensive battle with both teams receiving outstanding pitching performances. Baruch broke the scoreless tie in the third inning when Megan Bell tripled to left field and later scored on an RBI single from Jules Wychunas, providing the lone run of the game.
John Jay created several scoring chances throughout the contest. The Bloodhounds loaded the bases in the fifth inning behind singles from
Sidney Bankston and
Elika Rodrigues along with a walk by
Natalie Graham, but Baruch escaped the jam to maintain the lead. John Jay also threatened in the seventh after Bankston drew a leadoff walk and
Kelly Fajardo followed with another free pass, but the Bearcats recorded the final out to preserve the shutout.
Lindsay Ogden turned in a strong performance in the circle for the Bloodhounds, allowing just one run on five hits across six innings while striking out six. She worked out of traffic multiple times to keep John Jay within striking distance.
Offensively, Bankston and Rodrigues each recorded a hit for John Jay, with Rodrigues adding a stolen base. Graham and
Kendal Bryant both reached base twice via walks to spark scoring opportunities.
Baruch was led by Bell, who finished with a triple and the game's lone run scored, while Wychunas drove in the decisive run. Leilani Jimenez also added two hits as the Bearcats held on for the 1–0 victory.
Game 2: Baruch 6, John Jay 2
John Jay jumped out to an early lead in the nightcap.
Elika Rodrigues singled and stole second before
Alyssa Cadolino delivered an RBI single to center field to give the Bloodhounds a 1–0 advantage in the first inning.
Baruch responded in the second inning, taking advantage of an error before RBI plays from Kaitlyn Belfield and Grace Osuch gave the Bearcats a 2–1 lead. The Bearcats added another run in the third when Jules Wychunas launched a solo home run to right field to extend the margin to 3–1.
The Bloodhounds answered in the fifth with their best offensive rally of the afternoon. Cadolino and
Natalie Graham recorded back-to-back singles before
Samantha Santana added another base hit to load the bases.
Natalie Polanco then lined an RBI single to left to cut the deficit to 3–2, and
Sidney Bankston followed with a single to reload the bases. Baruch escaped the inning with a double play to keep the lead.
The Bearcats broke the game open in the bottom of the fifth. After a walk and an error put runners aboard, Mina Barriga tripled to right center to drive in two runs. Mia Faddah followed with an RBI groundout to push the lead to 6–2.
John Jay continued to pressure late but was unable to push across another run as Baruch closed out the complete-game victory.
Rodrigues led the Bloodhounds offensively, going 2-for-3 with a run scored and stolen base. Cadolino finished 2-for-3 with an RBI, while Graham added a hit and run scored. Santana, Polanco, Bankston, and
Kayla Sauers each contributed hits as John Jay totaled nine in the contest.
Baruch was paced by Barriga, who recorded a triple and two RBIs, while Wychunas finished with a home run and two runs scored. Jimenez added two hits including a double, and Osuch, Belfield, and Faddah each drove in a run.
Adrianna Barragan took the loss in Game 2, allowing three runs over two innings.
Lindsay Ogden provided four innings of relief and struck out five. Reina Castro-Johnson earned the complete-game victory for Baruch.
The Bloodhounds head up to New Paltz to on Wednesday, April 15 for a 3:00 p.m. start.
