The College of Staten Island women’s softball squad put the finishing touches on an outstanding CUNYAC regular season, taking a pair of 11-0 wins over York College in their CUNYAC finale at Cunningham Park in Queens, New York, on Tuesday, clinching the conference’s regular season crown. The championship locks the Dolphins as the No. 1 seed in the upcoming CUNYAC postseason tournament which is hosted by CSI next week. The Dolphins raised their record to 22-10 overall and 13-1 in CUNYAC play. The losses dropped the Cardinals to 3-21, 2-10, respectively.
The Dolphins led from start to finish in both contests, which saw wins by Danielle Ponsiglione and Michelle Ferraiuolo in the circle. The two pitchers combined to only allow six Cardinals hits, as the host school was also plagued by a total of 10 errors between the two games.
A Ponsiglione two-RBI single opened a four-run first inning of game one, while a Stephanie Solari two-RBI basehit helped to add another four-spot in the second inning to start CSI on their roll. The Dolphins scattered 11 hits in the opener, including two each from Kristi Dillon, Joanna Tepedino, and Ferraiuolo.
Tepedino added another two hits in the second contest, including an infield RBI-single to get CSI a 1-0 lead. A Raechel Strobel solo homerun in the third inning cushioned the lead en route to the 11-0 final.
CSI has now won four games in a row and 12 of their last 14 contests. The Dolphins have a non-conference doubleheader this coming Sunday against FDU-Florham on the road at 12 Noon. After that, CSI will set its sights firmly on the CUNYAC Postseason Championship. By virtue of their top-seeding, CSI has earned a bye directly into double elimination tournament play on Friday May 6. Their opponent and time are yet to be announced by the CUNYAC. The postseason championship is a two-day tournament on May 6-7 with all games played at CSI.
