Staten Island, NY | The College of Staten Island softball team earned their sixth straight CUNYAC title, 20th all-time, this afternoon with a 4-1 win over Lehman College. The last time the Dolphins were held to less than five runs in a CUNYAC Championship game in which they won came back in 2011 against Baruch College where they won, 3-0. The #1 seeded Dolphins went undefeated in the regular season and showed their power in the playoffs, knocking off both Baruch College and Hunter College, 8-0, before taking down Lehman College.
Nicolette Trapani had the spotlight on her this afternoon and didn’t fail to deliver. Trapani tied a season-high with 11 strikeouts in seven innings of work. Over that span, Trapani allowed just four hits and one earned run on 84 pitches.
Lehman College earned their way to the CUNYAC Championship game via a 3-1 upset over Hunter College earlier in the day. Lehman carried that momentum over into the Championship game and did what no other CUNYAC school was able to do, hold the prolific offense of the Dolphins to under five runs.
The Dolphins scattered 10 hits to plate their four runs while Lehman used four hits to score their lone run but also committed a pair of fielding errors.
Alison Meagher was unstoppable at the plate this afternoon, going 3-for-3 with a team-high 2 RBI. A. Meagher tallied her first of two RBI in the first inning with a single which scored Patricia Riches, who reached earlier on a single, to give the Dolphins an early 1-0 lead.
When asked what was her mindset coming into the game was A. Meagher had this to say “Every time I step foot in the box, I like to be aggressive and today it paid off as I was able to help my team earn our sixth-straight CUNYAC title.”
A. Meagher struck again in the bottom of the third with an RBI single to right field which plated Vanessa Jioia. Jioia had doubled earlier in the inning, immediately putting her in scoring position. Jioia was ecstatic after the game when asked what winning three-straight CUNYAC titles meant to her “I’m so happy right now, I’m happy for my team for pushing through and finishing out the season with another CUNYAC Championship.”
Lehman College tallied a run in the top of the fourth when Diamond Villegas helped her own cause with an RBI double to left center to cut the Dolphins’ lead in half. The Dolphins would shut down the Lightning for the remainder of the game and keep them scoreless. Trapani said after the game “I just tried to stay confident and believe in myself, and I was really happy with the way our team played on both sides.”
CSI doubled their lead in the bottom of the fifth after A. Meagher once again left her mark on the game with a double to center field. Alexis Kateridge came in to pinch run for Meagher and didn’t have to wait long as she hit pay dirt when Jamie Holmes uncorked her 16th double of the season to bring her home. Taylor Peccerillo played a crucial role throughout the CUNYAC Tournament as she came in to pinch hit in all three game and recorded a hit in all three at-bats. Peccerillo tagged a double to right center to score Holmes and give the Dolphins a 4-1 lead.
That would be all the Dolphins needed to secure the win over Lehman College and earn their sixth-straight berth to the NCAA Tournament.
Patricia Riches earned CUNYAC Finals MVP after going 7-for-11 and tallying 3 RBI over the course of the two-day tournament. When asked how she prepared for the weekend Riches said this “I prepared like I would for any other game, I drank my pre-game smoothie and just relaxed.”
The Dolphins will now wait to see where they will be headed for the NCAA Tournament which will be aired on NCAA.com on Monday afternoon.
