Staten Island, NY | The College of Staten Island softball team took the field for CUNYAC play for the second consecutive day and picked up a pair of big victories over Brooklyn College, 18-0 and 11-0. The wins improved CSI to 7-11 overall and 7-1 in the CUNYAC while Brooklyn fell to 2-12 overall, 0-2 in the CUNYAC.
GAME ONE: STATEN ISLAND 18, BROOKLYN 0
The Dolphins jumped out in front of Brooklyn early in game one and never looked back. After starting pitcher Alison Meagher struck out the side in the top half of the opening frame, CSI scored six in a first inning that included six Dolphins base hits and four Brooklyn errors. The Dolphins scoring was highlighted by a Patricia Riches inside the park home run, her first homer of the season which put them up 3-0. Four more base hits followed the Riches home run, including doubles by Sierra Kaplanek and Claudia Porcaro. CSI finished the inning up 6-0 giving Meagher all of the run support she needed.
Meagher added two more strikeouts in a 1-2-3 second inning before the Dolphins plated two more on a Porcaro RBI-single and another Bulldogs error. Meagher also added another two punchouts in the third inning, bringing her total to seven. CSI was kept off of the scoreboard for the first time in the third which was followed up by another multi-strikeout inning for Meagher in the fourth, bringing her total to nine.
The Dolphins exploded for ten runs in the bottom half of the fourth in an inning that saw CSI pick up another nine base hits, the loudest of which was a Porcaro grand slam that extended the Dolphins lead to 18-0. Brooklyn entered the fifth with only a single base hit against Meagher who was relieved by Vanessa Porto after completing a four-inning, nine-strikeout outing. The Bulldogs picked up a hit in their last turn at bat, but this time it was Porto who struck out the side capping off a huge Dolphins victory in the day’s first game.
Meagher picked up the win for CSI with her nine-strikeout performance in the circle while Porcaro drove in five runs on three base hits, one of which was her second home run, a grand slam. Samantha MacPherson collected hits in all four of her at-bats driving in a pair while Riches also knocked in three runs for CSI.
GAME TWO: STATEN ISLAND 11, BROOKLYN 0
Game two brought another dominant effort from the Dolphins as they once again defeated Brooklyn in five innings behind a perfect game from Jaclyn Kateridge in the circle. The Dolphins scratched out a run in each of the first three innings before breaking the game wide open in the fourth. Eight Dolphins base hits, including doubles by Kaplanek, MacPherson, and Porcaro propelled CSI to an eight-spot in the inning extending their lead to 11-0.
For the fifth time on the afternoon Kateridge would retire the Bulldogs in order without allowing a baserunner in Brooklyn’s final turn at bat. The five perfect innings earned Kateridge her third win of the season and capped off the CSI sweep of the Bulldogs. Kateridge also contributed a 4-4 effort at the plate and drove in three runs while MacPherson added another pair of hits and two more RBI’s.
The Dolphins will get to enjoy five consecutive days off before returning to action this Saturday against John Jay for another CUNYAC doubleheader. First pitch of game one will be at 12:00 pm.
