PURCHASE, NY – The Purchase College softball team celebrated Senior Day with a sweep of John Jay College in a non-conference doubleheader on Thursday afternoon. The Panthers rolled to a 7-1 win in game one, then finished the day off with a 4-2 victory in six innings in game two.
In between the games, Purchase (9-19) honored the notable careers of senior trio
Victoria Capone-Froio,
Daniella Edelson and
Kelly Hayes.
Capone-Froio (Yonkers, NY) has been a solid starter for the program since transferring to Purchase during her sophomore year. As team co-captain, she is noted to be an anchor in the middle infield—playing both second base and shortstop. "She has consistently been one of our top producing hitters and always batting at the top of the order," added head coach
Mark Sergio.
After Thursday's wins, Capone-Froio stands at a career batting average of .328, where 28 of her 80 total hits have gone for extra bases. She has a career total seven doubles, five triples, 59 runs, 32 RBI and 24 stolen bases.
Edelson (Hopewell Junction, NY) joined the program as a walk on to start the 2017 season. The Panther outfielder was new to fastpitch softball but wasted no time making a positive impact on the team. By the end of the 2018 season, Edelson was the leading hitter on the team with an impressive .410 batting average. Her three-year average sits at .309 and includes 50 hits, to go along with 21 runs and 24 stolen bases.
Hayes (Staten Island, NY), the only senior to play all four years in the Purchase Blue and Orange, will depart Purchase as one of the most impactful players in the program's history. The standout centerfielder and team co-captain opened her collegiate career as the 2016 Skyline Conference Rookie of the Year. She has continued to excel season after season, reaching her 100th career hit this year— a mark only two other players have reached in program history. Hayes stands at a notable .326 career batting average following Thursday's wins. She has recorded 118 career hits to date, including 35 doubles, 10 triples and five home runs, along with 81 RBI, 80 runs and 24 stolen bases.
Hayes is also a true student-athlete, maintaining a 4.19 GPA as a double major at Purchase. "Not only has she thrived as a co-captain over the past two years, she has also been a mentor, role model and leader of our team both on and off the field," added Sergio.
Game One: Purchase 7, John Jay 2
Purchase broke the scoring ice on a
Kelly Agostini (SO/Centereach, NY) RBI single through the right. Teammate
Cassidy Montes (SO/Yonkers, NY) came around the bases to score the game-winning run.
PC tacked on runs in the third and fourth innings to stretch its lead to 7-0.
Montes (5-8) tossed a complete game for the home team and held John Jay (11-17) scoreless until the top of the sixth inning. The Blood Hounds recorded their lone run of the game on a wild pitch before Montes retired the inning with back-to-back outs.
Hayes went 3-for-4, including a RBI triple in the third to lead the Panthers in game one.
Mae Testa Feliciano (FR/Brooklyn, NY) also recorded multiple hits for the home team, going 2-for-3 with one run scored.
Montes picked up her fifth win of the season after recording five strikeouts over seven innings of work in game one.
John Jay pitcher Julianne Graepel (5-8) was tagged with the loss after giving up seven runs on 10 hits with four strikeouts and just as many walks.
Game Two: Purchase 4, John Jay 2
The Purchase offense continued to ignite, firing in a pair of early runs in the bottom of the second inning of game two. Edelson led off with a single through the left side and later scored (unearned) on a John Jay error.
Emily Nugent (FR/Bronx, NY), who got on base during the same error, came around to score Purchase's second run (unearned) on a Feliciano RBI single.
John Jay's Ashley Sclafani recorded a RBI walk in the following inning to put the Bloodhounds within one run of the Panther lead (2-1), but Purchase clawed back in the bottom half of the inning with a run of its own. Edelson launched a shot to center field for a RBI double that pushed Hayes across home plate.
John Jay produced a hit to cut the deficit to 3-2 in the top of the fourth, but Purchase would silence the rally and hold the visitors scoreless the rest of the way.
After the PC offense recorded the final run of the game in the sixth, Agostini (4-11) returned to the circle in the top of the seventh to record the final three outs and secure the win for the Panthers.
Edelson paved the way for the home team in game two, going 3-for-3 with one RBI and one run scored.
Purchase returns to Skyline action this weekend. The Panthers will to travel to St. Joseph's College (L.I.) on Saturday before concluding regular season action at home on Sunday against SUNY Old Westbury.
