New Rochelle, NY----Playing for the No. 3 seed in the upcoming CUNYAC Championship Tournament, the Bulldogs came close, but dropped both games in their regular season finale to Baruch in conference play at Flowers Park in New Rochelle on Saturday. Taking early leads in both games, the Bulldogs were just overcome by the Bearcats in Game 1, 4-3, before being stung by a walk-off homer in Game 2, 5-3. Brooklyn closes out the regular season with an 11-15 overall record and a 4-6 mark in conference play while the Bearcats improve to 16-17 and 7-3 respectively. Next up for the Bulldogs: Round 1 of the CUNYAC Championship Tournament on Thursday, 5/9, at Brooklyn College Field with details to be announced in the next couple of days on brooklyncollegeathletics.com.
Brooklyn would get on the board first in the top of the first inning in Game 1 on a Baruch error that scored first-year outfielder, Jelisa Palenque, who walked earlier in the inning.
With junior pitcher, Danielle Guzzardi, in full control, the Bulldogs would cling to their 1-0 lead until the Bearcats responded in the bottom of the fourth inning, scoring all four of their runs including a two-run homer.
The Bulldogs rallied in the top of the fifth inning beginning with a Vida Rodriguez walk. She would eventually score as Paige Palacios reached on a fielder's choice to cut Baruch's lead to 4-2 with one out. With two outs, Nadeen Khalil would score Brooklyn's final run of the game as Melanie Millan reached on an error.
Senior, Dasha Goodman, had Brooklyn's lone hit in Game 1's pitchers' duel. Guzzardi pitched all six innings for the Bulldogs, yielding seven hits, and not walking one of 27 Bearcat batters she faced.
Brooklyn's bats warmed up in the top of the first inning in Game 2. Palenque slapped an infield single and would eventually score as Goodman reached on an error. Baruch answered in the bottom of the second inning on an RBI single, one of three hits of the inning. The stalemate wouldn't last long, as Brooklyn scored tacked on a pair of runs including Palenque's second run of the game. Goodman also crossed home for Brooklyn's final run of the game. Palenque went 2-3 for the game.
The home team tied the game in the bottom of the fourth inning on a pair of RBI singles before Mia Faddah's walk-off homer to score Julia Cuttone who led off the inning with a single.
Millan went 2-4 for the Bulldogs with a triple in Game 2. Pitching her second complete game of the day, Guzzardi only walked one Bearcat in 31 batters faced. She would go to 11-15 with the loss.
