Brooklyn, NY - The No. 2 seed John Jay College softball team erupted for six runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to secure a 9-1 victory over No. 3 seed Brooklyn College on Friday afternoon at the Brooklyn College Softball Field, clinching the program's fourth consecutive CUNYAC Championship and fifth title in program history.
With the win, the Bloodhounds improved to 18-20 overall, while Brooklyn closed its season at 17-25. Additionally, the Bloodhounds become just the third program in CUNYAC history to record at least four straight league championships, joining Lehman (1980-1983) and Staten Island (1989-1992 & 2013-2019).
After Brooklyn struck first in the top of the third inning, John Jay responded immediately and never looked back behind a dominant outing from pitcher
Lindsay Ogden and a relentless offensive attack that produced 14 hits.Brooklyn opened the scoring in the third when Haylee Burleigh ripped an RBI triple down the left-field line to plate Lianna Gonzalez and give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead. Ogden limited the damage, however, striking out two batters in the frame to keep the deficit at one.
The Bloodhounds answered in the bottom half of the inning.
Kelly Fajardo started the rally with a single before
Natalie Polanco followed with a base hit of her own. Two batters later,
Alyssa Cadolino lined an RBI single down the right-field line to even the score at 1-1. Moments later,
Natalie Graham delivered a clutch RBI single to center field to give John Jay its first lead of the afternoon.
John Jay extended the advantage in the fourth inning after Brooklyn committed its second error of the game.
Sidney Bankston reached on the miscue before
Kayla Sauers singled to put two runners aboard. Polanco later delivered another RBI single to left field, scoring Bankston for a 3-1 lead.
Ogden took complete control from there. The right-hander retired the final six batters she faced and finished with nine strikeouts across five innings while allowing just four hits and one earned run. As a result, the junior right-hander earned Most Valuable Player of the tournament for the third straight season. Ogden joins former Staten Island student-athlete, Jacqueline Cautela.
The Bloodhounds broke the game open in the fifth inning with an offensive explosion.
Kendal Bryant opened the frame with a single, and Cadolino drew a walk before Graham singled to load the bases.
Samantha Santana then brought home a run with an RBI single to center to make it 4-1.
After two outs, the Bloodhounds strung together five consecutive RBI hits to trigger the run-rule victory.
Zoe Lowe delivered an RBI pinch-hit single before Fajardo, Polanco, Bryant, and Cadolino each followed with RBI base hits to cap the six-run inning and seal the championship.
John Jay's offense featured contributions throughout the lineup. Polanco finished 3-for-4 with two RBIs, while Cadolino went a perfect 2-for-2 with two RBIs and two walks. Graham added two hits and an RBI, Bryant recorded two hits and an RBI, and Fajardo scored twice while collecting two hits and an RBI. Lowe provided a key pinch-hit RBI single during the decisive fifth inning.
Brooklyn was led by Burleigh, who finished 1-for-3 with the team's lone RBI on the third-inning triple. Addy Cook and Julia Corcoran each added hits for the Bulldogs.
Ogden improved to 12-8 on the season with the championship-clinching victory, while Brooklyn starter Jessica Bowe suffered the loss after allowing nine runs — eight earned — on 14 hits over 4.2 innings.
The Bloodhounds will now await who they will play in the upcoming 2026 NCAA Division III Softball Regionals, which will commence on May 14 through May 16.
