CSI's Samantha Tallerine spread out five hits with five RBI today in two games

After the opening day of competition in the 2013 CUNYAC Women’s Softball Championship double-elimination tournament, the College of Staten Island was the team that came out on op, taking two wins to gain automatic entry into the Championship Final tomorrow at the CSI Softball Complex.  CSI won their opener over No . 3 Brooklyn College, 4-1, before winning their second game of the afternoon over No. 4 Hunter College in winner’s bracket play, 12-1.  CSI will play either on e of those teams tomorrow at 2:00pm for the CUNYAC title.

In the opener, CSI fell behind to the Bulldogs, 1-0, in the game’s third inning, but a pair of CSI runs in the fourth overturned the advantage.  Against BC starter Kayla Hill, CSI’s Stefanie Solari opened the frame with a double, and was plated by a Maxine Jasko single.  Jasko would later get called out at home trying to advance on a Danielle Locke single, but Locke was able to hit paydirt on a Samantha Tallerine double, making it 2-1.

CSI starter Victoria Procopio, meanwhile, settled down nicely, allowing just five hits over the final four innings, while the Dolphins nursed their lead.  CSI then got a pair of major insurance runs in their turn of the sixth, when Tallerine drove in another two runs on a bases loaded single to make it 4-1.  Procopio allowed a pair of hits in the top of the seventh in Brooklyn’s last turn at the dish, but the sophomore was able to wiggle out of trouble to preserve the complete game win.

CSI out-hit BC, 12-7, netting two hits each for Tallerine, Jasko, and Locke.  Batters four through nine for BC were just 1-19 at the dish for the visitors.

Hunter College, a 5-4 winner over Baruch College in the opening game of the tourney was next up for CSI as part of winner’s bracket play, and from the start, the Dolphins left little to doubt in the contest, going up early and never looking back.  After a scoreless first inning, CSI exploded for three runs in the second after Hunter got up 1-0, highlighted by a two run double by Chyanne Gilliam against HC starter Angelica Iacovetti.  Procopio, who took another turn in the circle, added a sacrifice fly to make it a 3-1 lead for CSI after two frames.

Iacovetti was then chased in the third inning, as CSI would add four more runs.  Christina Tufano started the scoring with a two-run triple to make it 5-1, and after a pitching change, Locke drove in Tufano.  One at-bat later, Tallerine continued her great day with an RBI-double to make it 7-1.  The next time CSI was up, in the game’s fourth inning, the Dolphins added five more runs to put the mercy rule into effect.  Three HC errors in the inning and a two-RBI double by Locke played a major role in the frame.  In the fifth inning, Procopio closed the door on the Hawks, ending the game prematurely.  

CSI out-hit the Hawks, as Locke went 3-3 with three RBI.

Brooklyn defeated Baruch, 9-1, in the other elimination game played this afternoon, meaning that tomorrow at 12 Noon, the Bulldogs will face the Hawks,  The loser will be eliminated and the winner will face the Dolphins at 2pm for the Championship.  CSI need only win the 2pm game to take home the championship, while the winner of the 12pm game would have to defeat the Dolphins twice.  Play tomorrow is at the CSI Softball Complex.