STATEN ISLAND, NY – The College of Staten Island softball team welcomed Jefferson University to the CSI Softball Complex on Tuesday afternoon for a non-conference doubleheader. At the end of the day, the Dolphins dropped 6-1 and 13-3 respectively to drop to 3-5 on the year.
Game One – Jefferson 6, CSI 1
The first game of the day ended with the Dolphins pushing across a run in their final at-bat, but it wasn't enough to overcome an early deficit. Jefferson scored in nearly every inning of Game 1 and controlled the pace throughout.
Madilyn Paul became the Dolphins' first baserunner in the bottom of the second, drawing a walk. Soleil Smith and Kaylee Cary followed with walks of their own to load the bases, but with two outs, the Rams escaped the jam and kept the Dolphins off the board.
Both teams were held scoreless in the third and fourth innings, with Jefferson maintaining a 2–0 lead built in the opening frames. The Rams extended their advantage to 4–0 by the top of the sixth. In the bottom half, Aliveah Warner sparked the Dolphins with a leadoff double to put a runner in scoring position, but Jefferson again retired the next three batters to strand the threat.
Jefferson's biggest inning came in the top of the seventh, when they added two more runs to make it 6–0. In their final chance, the Dolphins showed some life. Cary led off with a single and advanced to second, and Presley Borne followed with a single to put two on. Jianna Lopez then lifted a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Milene Mendoza, who pinch ran for Cary, for the Dolphins' only run of the game.
After two more outs, the comeback attempt fell short as the Dolphins dropped Game 1, 6–1.
Borne finished 2-for-4 at the plate, while Cary went 1-for-1 with a walk. Kennedie Ruth started in the circle and pitched a complete game, recording five strikeouts.
Game Two – Jefferson 13, CSI 3
Game two opened much like the first, with the Rams carrying their momentum into an early run on a chilly Tuesday afternoon. The Dolphins went down in order through the first three innings and found themselves trailing 5–0 by the end of the third.
In the fourth, Jianna Lopez recorded the Dolphins' first baserunner of the game with a double down the left-field line, but the hosts remained scoreless. The offense broke through in the bottom of the fifth when Madilyn Paul singled up the middle and later stole second. Taryn Judson followed with an RBI double to bring Paul home and cut the deficit to 6–1.
Emily Reilly added an RBI double of her own to make it 6–2. After the Rams responded with three runs in the top of the sixth, Paul delivered again with a double that led to the Dolphins' third and final run, narrowing the score to 9–3. The Rams then pulled away with four runs in the seventh, handing the Dolphins a 13–3 loss to complete the sweep.
Paul finished 2-3 with an RBI and a run scored, while Judson went 1-3 with an RBI. Marena Grenier started in the circle, pitching 6.1 innings with four strikeouts, and Emma Powell came on in relief to close out the game.
The College of Staten Island softball team returns to action Friday at the CSI Softball Complex, hosting Dominican University (N.Y.) in a non-conference doubleheader beginning at 2:00 p.m.
GAME REPLAY
