Brooklyn, NY - The No. 2 seed John Jay softball team captured a 9-5 victory over No. 4 seed Hunter College on Thursday evening of the 2026 CUNYAC Softball Championship at the Brooklyn College Softball Field.
The Bloodhounds exploded for 17 hits and used a five-run third inning to seize momentum en route to advancing in the conference postseason.
Hunter struck first in the opening inning after loading the bases with back-to-back singles from Grace Basil and Abigail Bidinger along with a hit batter. An error allowed the Hawks to plate the game's first run before Giordana Bowen followed with an RBI double to left center to give Hunter an early 2-0 advantage.
John Jay immediately responded in the bottom half of the first.
Kelly Fajardo opened the inning with a triple to left field and later scored on an RBI single by
Kendal Bryant to cut the deficit to 2-1.
After
Natalie Graham settled in the circle and retired six of the next seven batters, the Bloodhounds' offense erupted in the third inning. Fajardo started the rally with a single before Bryant tied the game with an RBI knock to right center.
For Bryant, the base hit was a milestone as the Vineland, NJ native as she recorded her 100th career hit in a John Jay uniform.
Alyssa Cadolino followed with an RBI single to give John Jay its first lead of the evening at 3-2. Moments later, Graham delivered a base hit to left that turned into a two-run sequence after a Hunter fielding error, extending the advantage to 5-2.
Kayla Sauers capped the inning with an RBI single as the Bloodhounds sent 11 batters to the plate and totaled seven hits in the frame.
John Jay continued to apply pressure in the fourth inning.
Natalie Polanco and Bryant opened the inning with consecutive singles before Cadolino ripped another RBI single to right field to make it 7-2. Later in the inning, Bryant scored on a sacrifice fly from Graham as the Bloodhounds built an 8-2 cushion.
Hunter attempted to claw back into the contest in the fifth and sixth innings. Isabella Thumhart delivered an RBI single in the fifth before Basil highlighted a two-run sixth inning with a triple to center field that scored both Alejandra Aquino and Brianna Flores, trimming the deficit to 8-5.
The Bloodhounds answered immediately in the bottom of the sixth. Cadolino and Graham each singled before pinch hitter
Zoe Lowe delivered a clutch RBI single to right field to restore a four-run advantage at 9-5.
John Jay closed out the victory in the seventh inning as the defense turned a game-ending double play on a flyout from Bowen.
Bryant and Cadolino each finished with three hits, two RBI, and two runs scored to pace the Bloodhounds offensively. Fajardo went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and a triple, while Graham added two hits and earned the complete-game victory in the circle after allowing five runs on 12 hits with three strikeouts. Sauers also contributed two hits and an RBI in the win.
Hunter totaled 12 hits in the loss, led by Basil, who finished 2-for-4 with two RBI and a triple. Bidinger and Adriana Ramirez each recorded two-hit performances, while Sonia Rosales Rosenthal added two hits for the Hawks.
The Bloodhounds will await the winner of Friday's first contest between Hunter and Brooklyn. First-pitch is slated for 1:00 p.m and a if-necessary contest is slated for approximately 3:30 p.m.
