PARSIPPANY, N.J. – After losing the first game 3-1, the Caldwell College baseball team earned a split of a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference doubleheader with a 10-0 victory in Game 2 Thursday afternoon at Smith Field. The win, combined with Caldwell's 10-5 triumph on Apr. 3, allows the Cougars (16-12 overall, 10-5 CACC) to capture the season series with the Chargers (14-17, 6-5 CACC).
 
Pitching dominated the first game, with the teams combining for a total of five hits in the game off Caldwell junior Eric Hines (Milltown, NJ/Spotswood) and Dominican's Tommy Mejia. The Chargers struck first, taking a 2-0 lead on Tommy Maloney's two-run double in the top of the fourth. Caldwell answered in the bottom of the fourth, when a grounder by junior Jorge Torres (Coral Springs, FL/Taravella) scored senior Tommy Murphy (Monroe, NY/Washingtonville) from third to make the score 2-1. But Dominican restored its two-run lead with an unearned run in the top of the fifth.

Hines pitched a solid game, allowing three runs, one earned, on three hits and one walk while striking out three in seven innings. Mejia also went the distance, holding the Cougars to two hits while fanning 10.
 
The Cougars' fortunes at the plate changed for the better in Game 2. Caldwell led off the second with a pair of singles, then a single by Murphy brought home junior Aaron Hoffstatter (Glasco, NY/Saugerties) for a 1-0 lead. Sophomore Omar Velazquez (Astoria, NY/Long Island City) followed with a three-run homer down the left field line to put Caldwell up 4-0. Seniors Chris Chiarappa (Elmont, NY/Holy Trinity) and Joe Hydro (Flemington, NJ/Immaculata) each scored unearned runs in the third and fourth innings, respectively for a 6-0 advantage. In the bottom of the sixth, the Cougars added four more runs on two-run hits by sophomore Andrew Robertson (Coral Springs, FL/Taravella) and freshman Edgar Santos (Woodside, NY/Bryant).

Velazquez, pictured, tossed a four-hit shutout while fanning nine and walking two for his first victory of the season. Tom Kahl (2-2) started the game and allowed six runs on eight hits in four innings to take the loss.
 
Next up for the Cougars is a CACC doubleheader at Philadelphia University on Saturday, Apr. 12, with the first game schedule to start at 12:00 p.m.