McClafferty Shines as Softball Sweeps Old Westbury in Sunday Doubleheader

Written by Andrew Capitelli (SJC-LI Sports Information)

Patchogue, NY| Senior Mallory McClafferty threw a one-hitter in game one and hit two home runs in game two as the St. Joseph's College (L.I.) softball team swept SUNY Old Westbury, 7-0 and 13-2, in a Skyline Conference doubleheader on Sunday afternoon. With the victories the Golden Eagles improve to 14-6 (6-2 Skyline) on the year as the Panthers fall to 7-7 (3-7 Skyline).

Game 1: SJC 7, OW 0

Gabrielle Cinquemani's single up the middle would score Kristen Arbiter to give SJC a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first, and the scoreline would stick until the fourth inning when the Golden Eagles posted four more runs. Cinquemani would belt her conference leading sixth homer with the first at-bat and, later, Megan Leun would score on a wild pitch and Madeline Sganga would score via an RBI single from Lindsey Corriss. Nicole Pitta posted SJC's fifth run when she stole home plate.

The Golden Eagles scored two more runs (7-0) in the bottom of the sixth, when Sandra Foster advanced home following a throwing error by the left fielder and Corriss drove Pitta in for the second time in the contest.

McClafferty (5-1) fanned six batters and allowed just one hit—a single off the bat of OW's Delana Murray in the top of the fifth—in a complete game effort. The Bellport, NY native tossed a no-hitter in a 4-0 victory over St. Joseph's (Brkln) back in March.

Cinquemani went 2-3 in the contest and drove in two runs. Corriss (2-4, 2 RBI's) and Pitta (2-3, 2 runs, 1 RBI) also recorded two hits in the game.  

Game 2: SJC 13, OW 2 (5 innings)

Old Westbury posted the first score of the contest when Samantha Scharff scored Murray with an RBI single to short in the top of the first, but McClafferty gave SJC its first lead of the game in the bottom half of the inning with a three-run shot (her second homer of the season).

Two more runs in the bottom of the second—RBI singles from Jillian McFadzen and Kristen Arbiter—extended the Golden Eagles' lead two four runs (5-1), but an eight-run third inning put the game far out of reach for the guests. McClafferty opened the inning with her second homer run—a solo shot—with Cinquemani's RBI triple to right field being the other highlight.

Old Westbury failed to respond in the fourth and fifth innings and succumbed to the eight-run and was handed a 13-2 defeat.

McClafferty went a perfect 3-3 and collected career-best marks in RBI's (5) and home runs (2). Corriss (3-3, 2 runs, 1 RBI), McFadzen (4-4, 2 runs, 1 RBI) and Leun (3-3, 1 RBI) also helped lead an offense that generated 17 hits in 29 at-bats.

Lauren Buturla (5-2) struck out five and allowed eight hits to claim the victory for SJC. Foster pitched the fifth inning and fanned two batters.

The Golden Eagles return to action tomorrow, April 11 when they travel to the Bronx to face the College of Mount Saint Vincent in a Skyline Conference doubleheader at 3:30 PM. Live stats available here.