POSTGAME INTERVIEWS | GAME FILM – The College of Staten Island softball team notched 30 regular season wins for the first time in program history thanks to a doubleheader sweep of Drew University at the CSI Softball Complex this evening. CSI won the opener, 6-1, before a shortened 8-0 win in game two in five innings. The Dolphins improved to 30-6 overall while the Rangers fell to 9-22.
GAME ONE
The stingy CSI defense played very well in this one as they gave the ball to Jacqueline Cautela and she motored through the Drew lineup through the first three innings allowing a lone hit. Meanwhile, after leaving a trio of runners on base for the first two innings, CSI hit pay dirt in the third to the tune of four runs against Drew starter Emma Agostini.
Cautela helped her own cause by getting on via error, and after advancing to second via sacrifice, she was run home on a Patricia Riches single. Two at-bats later, CSI loaded the bases. Riches then scored on an Ashley Notaro sac fly before Jamie Holmes launched a two-RBI double to right-center to give CSI the 4-0 edge.
After Cautela got through the Drew order 1-2-3 in the fourth, CSI added two more in their turn of the fourth, this time when Riches slammed a no-doubt-about-it home run over the left field wall, scoring Cautela who was on base via a one-out single.
CSI’s bats cooled from there but it didn’t matter as Cautela worked quickly and her defense was stellar behind her. The lone kink in the armor came in the final inning. Agostini earned on via single and then was sacrificed over to second. After advancing on a wild pitch to third, she would spoil the shutout, coming in on a Bethany Budner RBI fielder’s choice.
Still CSI out-hit the Rangers, 7-4, with Riches going 3-4 with three RBI and a pair of runs scored. Cautela improved to 14-2, going the full seven innings, yielding five hits, one walk and two strikeouts. Agostini (5-11) suffered the loss, walking four and fanning two.
GAME TWO
Unlike the opener, CSI would get on the board very early, providing great run support for starter Nicolette Trapani. Against the starter Budner, CSI plated three runs in the first inning on three hits, helped along by an error. Cautela started it all with a single, and then Antoinette Galbo beat out an infield grounder for another, putting runners at the corners. After registering an out against Riches, Vanessa Jioia then rocketed a base-clearing triple to make it 2-0. Jioia would enter home as well thanks to a Kristy Colangelo sac fly.
Up 3-0, CSI was able to put away Drew in the second and third innings after yielding a base runner in each inning, and then in their turn of the third, CSI added another digit thanks to a Colangelo single that chased in Galbo to make it 4-0.
While Trapani kept the Drew offense off-balance, CSI went into the fifth inning with a 4-0 lead that they would ultimately double and win in walk-off fashion.
Riches started it off with a walk and that chased Budner in favor of Agostini again. Three batters later, however, Notaro would loop in an RBI single to make it 5-0, scoring Riches. Holmes followed and did the same. Later, Julianna Cretella added an RBI stroke to make it 7-0 and Holmes then was on third base, representing the mercy run. She would enter on an Agostini wild pitch, ending the game prematurely.
CSI out-hit Drew in the second game 11-2 as Galbo, Notaro, and Cretella all tallied two hits. Trapani recorded the shutout win, her 10th of the season. Budner took the loss.
The CSI wins evened the all-time series at 9-9 with Drew. The Dolphins are now one win away from their all-time high of 31, achieved in 2015.
The Dolphins now have just one doubleheader remaining on their schedule. It will be on Sunday at 12 Noon against FDU-Florham. It will also be Senior Day as CSI will honor its five seniors, Kristy Colangelo, Gianna DeCesare, Elizabeth Travieso, Alexandra Conanan and Jacqueline Cautela.
