NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The Albertus Magnus College softball team swept the Bloodhounds of John Jay University in its first home games of the season on Tuesday afternoon at the Shea Softball Field. Albertus came out on top in game one by a score of 3-0 and then secured the sweep with another win in game two, 8-1.
Freshman Skylar Arent (New Fairfield, Conn.) pitched her fourth complete game for the Falcons in the opener, while senior Erin Dighello (Wallingford, Conn.) hurled her third of the season in the nightcap.
THE BASICS
FINAL (G1): Albertus Magnus 3 | John Jay 0 - BOX SCORE
FINAL (G2): Albertus Magnus 8 | John Jay 1 - BOX SCORE
RECORDS: Albertus Magnus (6-6) | John Jay (1-3)
LOCATION: Shea Softball Field
HOW IT HAPPENED - Game 1
The Falcons burst through in the bottom of the second, scoring a pair of runs off of three hits and a Bloodhound error. Kayla Resto (Shelton, Conn.) led off the second stanza with a single into left-center field. Ivy Geloso (Beacon Falls, Conn. ) quickly followed with a double to right-center field, before Karissa Kerrs (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.) lifted a sacrifice fly to center to score Resto from third for the first run of the game, 1-0. Breanna Saldivar (Middletown, Conn.) followed up with an infield single to third before a Bloodhound error scored Geloso and sent Saldivar to second. John Jay's America Rivera retired the next two hitters to keep the Falcons at bay, 2-0.
The Falcons added an insurance run in the fourth inning, as Kerrs led off with a single to center field and promptly stole second base. A Saldivar sacrifice bunt advanced Kerrs to third, before Colleen Edwards (Clinton, Conn.) reached on an error that scored Kerrs and gave the Falcons the 3-0 advantage.
The Falcons added two more hits over the remainder of the game, as Resto doubled into left field in the fifth inning and Kerrs singled in the sixth.
The Bloodhounds were unable to get to Arent, as the freshman southpaw held on to preserve the 3-0 victory for the Falcons.
TOP PERFORMERS
- WP: Skylar Arent (3-2) - 7.0 innings | 3 Hits | 1 Walk | 2 Strikeouts
- LP: America Rivera (0-2) - 5.1 innings | 8 Hits | 3 Runs | 4 Walks | 0 Strikeouts
- Resto, Geloso, and Kerrs finished game one with two hits each.
- Kerrs tallied the Falcons' lone RBI of the game.
- Jess Stettinger (East Haven, Conn.) and Saldivar also posted a hit for Albertus.
HOW IT HAPPENED - Game 2
A big first inning got the momentum going for the Falcons as the hosts scored a pair of runs behind an RBI triple from Geloso to take the early lead, 2-0. With one out, Janelle Franklin (Middletown, Conn.) got things started with a double to left field before a single from Erin Molkenthin (East Haddam, Conn.) put runners on the corners. Despite a fly out to left from Stettinger, Geloso connected on a pitch that sent the ball to deep right-center, driving in the runners and putting herself in scoring position for Resto. However, a groundout from the first baseman ended the inning and stranded Geloso on third.
An inning and a half later, John Jay cut the Falcons' lead in half, 2-1, following a one-run, three-hit inning. The Bloodhounds' first run of the day came from Rylea Sandel, who singled up the middle driving in the runner from second before the final two outs were collected.
In the bottom half of the third, Albertus countered the Bloodhounds by scoring three runs on just one hit, despite two outs, to take a commanding four-run lead, 5-1. Geloso tallied the Falcons' lone hit of the frame with an RBI double to left-center, while two of the Falcons' three runs were scored off of back-to-back walks with bases loaded.
Geloso struck again for the Falcons, this time in the bottom of the fourth, as the right-fielder recorded her second RBI double of the game behind a two-run RBI double to left-center to bring the score to 7-1.
The Falcons' final run of the game came in the bottom of the sixth as an RBI double from Saldivar drove in Gladwin from first before the final out was committed.
TOP PERFORMERS
- WP: Erin Dighello (3-3) - 7.0 innings | 4 Hits | 1 Run | 1 Walk | 7 Strikeouts
- LP: Julianne Graepel (0-2) - 2.2 innings | 4 Hits | 5 Runs | 6 Walks | 2 Strikeouts
- Geloso finished the nightcap 3-for-4 at the plate with a team-leading five RBI and a run scored.
- Geloso's three-hit performance was a new season-high for the senior.
- Franklin and Molkenthin each posted two hits, while Franklin tallied three runs scored.
- Dighello tied her season-high in strikeouts with seven.
UP NEXT
The Falcons return to the diamond on Friday, March 25 with a home non-conference doubleheader against the College of Mount St. Vincent. Game times are set for 3 PM and 5 PM at the Shea Softball Field in New Haven, Conn.
