By: Serena Edwards and Rami Mansi
With the spring season coming to a close, the Brooklyn College (BC) men’s tennis team has finished its season in the CUNYAC (City University of New York Athletic Conference), and the women’s softball team continues its pilgrimage to victory.
Men’s Tennis
Coming off a loss at Brauch College, the men’s tennis team walked into the CUNYAC tournament with the fire to prove themselves.
Though facing the Hunter College Hawks, a team they lost to less than a week ago, the game ended the Bulldogs’ CUNYAC run, as they were defeated 1-4 on April 26.
Senior Allen Mardakhayev and sophomore Dennis Shender won their double rounds, winning with a score of 6-3. However, freshman Giorgi Zhamutashvili and sophomore James Walsh, as well as freshman Christopher Vasquez and sophomore Dylan Augustin, played until the end to an eventual loss; both pairs ended with a 4-6.
The singles win mirrored the doubles score, with the Bulldogs winning 6-4 and 6-1. Vasquez clinched the sole BC win with 6-3 and 6-1.
With this final game, the men’s tennis team takes its leave of the season until next spring. They end with a record of 7-7.
Women’s Softball
With high wins and low losses, the women’s softball team has been continuing to move around this season with the strength of a bulldog’s bark.
Proving that their bite was just as strong, the Bulldogs faced Hunter College in a doubleheader on April 27, taking a win in game one (11-5) and a loss in game 2 (2-10).
In the first game, BC came to an early lead, but Hunter caught up quickly, leaving the score post-five innings to be 5-4.
Outfielder Haylee Burleigh took over second and third base in the final innings of the game. Catcher Katelyn Young and Third/First base Addy Cook kept the same energy, with base hits galore. An RBI single was delivered by freshman Victoria Elderbaum, giving BC the lead.
Pitcher Olivia Gonzalez and catcher Lianna Gonzalez contributed heavily to the team’s success, with catcher O. Gonzalez getting a two-run double and L. Gonzalez pitching a great game.
The final actions that solidified the team’s success came from outfielder Kureshma Dhanraj, who earned four runs.
Game two came through, and freshmen Jazlyn Roberts and Olivia Gonzalez put on an offensive front that made the other team go “phew.” After a scoreless first inning, Hunter was able to break that and secure a 3-0 lead until the fifth inning. Though BC was able to score two runs in the fifth, Hunter dominated with seven runs, ending the game in a 2-10 loss for BC.
The latter two mentioned players, in tandem with Junior Vida Rodriguez and Elderbaum, each contributed to putting up a good fight for BC.
The Bulldogs had a tumultuous doubleheader against Baruch on April 29, with their first game ending in a 4-13 loss and a win in game two, with the final score 6-5.
During game one, Baruch scored early and set the tone of the game. However, BC did not let that discourage them; a couple of players guided their team to a couple of runs.
At the beginning of the game, Cook led the team with a two-run single and an impressive pitch that gave the Bulldogs their first run. Following this, an RBI from Jimenez provided the team with a cushion of hope.
Elderbaum showed out at home plate with a 2-for-2 performance; however, the team was still far from comfortable.
Though the Bulldogs had star moments, the Bearcats’ claws were stronger than their bark, resulting in an 11-run loss.
Game two was a close call with the Bulldogs winning by one run. In this game, BC’s outcome was not promising in the first two innings; however, in true Bulldog fashion, they began to bite back in the final innings.
Young came through with a grand slam, strengthening BC’s path to victory.
Though Baruch’s Bearcats started strong, the Bulldogs showed them how to keep up their stamina. BC’s defense was strong, which provided the Bearcats no opportunity for the Bearcats to sneak in for a win.
The Bulldogs hit the road and played their final away game of the regular season against New Jersey City University’s (NJCU) Gothic Knights in a doubleheader on May 2, losing game one 3-4 and winning game two 8-5.
BC was able to score a run in the second inning, but would trail behind NJCU for most of the game, ending the sixth inning 3-1 on the board.
RBIs from Burleigh and L. Gonzalez were able to tie the game to 3-3 in the top of the seventh inning, but the Knights were valiant and gained another run, ending the game with four runs on the Bulldogs.
In game two, BC came back with a vengeance, and using NJCU’s errors to their advantage, picking up all eight of their runs as unearned.
Corcoran set the stage for BC’s play after scoring off of an error to tie the game in the second inning. By the third, BC was ahead 3-1, with a single RBI from Young.
The sixth inning was a blowout for Jersey, as Brooklyn capitalized with 5 runs. Corcoran and Elderbaum hit RBIs, allowing Young and Roberts to pick up unearned runs. Though the Knights were the heaviest hitters with 11-9 on BC, their demise was due to six defensive errors, ending the game in 8-5 for Brooklyn.
The Bulldogs look ahead to closing the season out at home and tasting success in the CUNYAC Championship Tournament on May 7 and 8.