4/17/2006 - (Riverdale, NY) – As the Hudson Valley Women’s Athletic Conference (HVWAC) playoffs draw closer and closer, it has become increasingly clear that the road to the tournament championship will not be an easy one for any of the six teams in the Conference. On Monday, two of the HVWAC’s elite, Mount Saint Vincent and St. Joseph’s (Brooklyn) squared off for one of the most thrilling doubleheaders of the 2006 season. And while the visiting Bears won the opener, 5-4 to claim the Conference victory, Mount Saint Vincent’s heroic comeback during the opener, and 4-2 win during the nightcap is living proof that the Mount’s HVWAC Title aspirations are very much alive and well.

The opening game saw the Mount Saint Vincent defense ruin a yeoman’s effort by freshman Jessica Riddle (Billerica, MA/Billerica HS) on the mound, as St. Joseph’s scored five unearned runs en route to a one-run win. Four Dolphin errors led to all five Bear runs. However, the game became a thriller when the bottom of the seventh began as Mount Saint Vincent scored four times to put the Bears on their heels thanks to RBI singles by Gina Angolillo (West Harrison, NY/Harrison HS) and Jessica Piccoli (Yonkers, NY/Saunders HS), an RBI double by Riddle, and an unearned run as well. However, with the winning run on base, an outstanding defensive play by St. Joseph’s with two outs gave the Bears the win. Riddle scattered five hits over seven innings and struck out two Bear batters. Junior Nabela Tahir (Flushing, NY/Cardozo HS) had the hot bat, going 2 for 3 with an RBI and a run scored.

The night-cap was every bit as thrilling as Mount Saint Vincent won in six innings as the game was called early due to darkness. The Mount jumped out to an early 3-1 lead thanks to an RBI single by Shannon O’Connor (White Plains, NY/Maria Regina) and a two-RBI double by Riddle. From that point, the game belonged to senior hurler Krista Roberts (Wilmington, MA/Wilmington HS) who allowed a single earned runs and two hits over six innings. Roberts was nothing short of brilliant in winning for the fourth time this season, and the Mount Saint Vincent defense committed only two errors. Riddle went 2 for 3 with two RBI’s and a run scored, while five other Dolphins had hits as Mount Saint Vincent improved to 8-21 overall.

Mount Saint Vincent returns to action on Friday, April 21 when they look to even their HVWAC record when they host Sarah Lawrence at 4:00 p.m.