Softball Drops Two to Mt. St. Mary in Skyline Regular Season Finale

Patchogue, N.Y. – The St. Joseph's Golden Eagles (16-6, 9-5 SKY) hosted the Mount Saint Mary Knights (16-8, 11-1 SKY) on Saturday afternoon in a Skyline Conference doubleheader matchup and tried to lance some wins against their first place rivals, however they fell short in both attempts. With the conclusion of today's games, SJC has completed their regular season Skyline Conference competitions and must now wait to find out their playoff fate.

With the regular season coming to a close, the Golden Eagles attempted to finish off their conference schedule on a strong note in game one. However the Knights looked as though they came to play, scoring a quick two runs in the top half of the second inning. Starting pitcher Cindy Connoly cranked a two-run shot over the right field fence, getting the Knights off to that 2-0 start.

In the top of the fifth, the Knights struck again, posting another two runs on the board bringing their lead to 4-0. Time was running out for the Golden Eagles, so they needed to post some runs before it was too late. They did in fact cross the plate, however it wouldn't be enough. In the bottom of the sixth, Megan Leun led the inning off with a double to leftfield. Gabrielle Cinquemani eventually came to the plate and sent a ball deep to left field, bouncing off the fielder's glove. With her speed on the base paths she was able to score, cutting the Knights lead in half to 4-2.

Unfortunately for the Golden Eagles, this effort came too late and they ran out of opportunities, posting a goose egg in the run column in the bottom of the seventh. Mallory McClafferty (6-5) was charged with the loss, as SJC got off to a rough start on the day.

In the second game, the Golden Eagles looked to even the ledger in the back end, trying to survive the day with the split. Unfortunately, the bats went cold and they would struggle again with Connoly in the circle for another time around. 

Going into the bottom of the fifth, SJC was already down by a score of 5-0 and they had their backs against the ropes. To start the inning, Tara Bernocco was hit by a pitch, which put her on first base.  In the following at bat, Lindsey Corriss singled, making it seem as though the Golden Eagles may be able to string a rally together. Bernocco did score, however that run would be the only tally on the scoreboard. The score remained the same until the seventh, and SJC went on to drop their second of the day against the Knights.

Although Skyline Conference regular season play has come to an end, the Golden Eagles will face Staten Island in a non-conference matchup on Wednesday, April 22 in Staten Island. Tomorrow's Skyline Conference games between Farmingdale-Mt. St. Mary and Sage-Old Westbury will determine St. Joseph's fate as far as qualifying for the Skyline Conference Tournament slated to begin on Friday, April 24.