CC 2, WU 0
CC 4, WU 3
CALDWELL, N.J. - The Caldwell College softball team won a pair of close games against Wilmington University in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference doubleheader Saturday afternoon at a chilly Caldwell Field. The Cougars, who are now 27-11 overall and 13-3 in the CACC, earned a 2-0 victory in Game 1 before taking the second game 4-3 on a bases-loaded, two-out single by senior Kyrie Timbrook (Los Gatos, CA/Los Gatos) in the bottom of the seventh. The Wildcats fall to 16-16-1, 8-8 CACC with the defeats.
Pitching was stingy in the first game, with the teams combining for three hits heading into the bottom of the sixth inning. Wilmington threatened to score in the fifth by loading the bases with one out. But junior pitcher Brittany Pulido (Ojai, CA/Nordhoff) fanned the next batter and induced a grounder to second to keep the Wildcats scoreless. In the bottom of the sixth, sophomore Kelly Ryan (Woonsocket, RI/Mt. St. Charles Acad.) hit a one-out single and later stole second. With two outs, senior Danielle Genovese (Livingston, NJ/Livingston) hit a two-run blast to right for the first runs of the game.
Pulido (14-3) retired the side in order in the top of the seventh to wrap up the win. Over seven innings, she held Wilmington to two hits and no walks while striking out two for her seventh shutout of the season. Ryan had a pair of hits for Caldwell in the win. The Wildcats' Kim Lawrence also pitched a strong game, allowing three hits and two runs while striking out two in six innings.
Genovese (left) continued to swing a hot bat into the second game, as she hit another two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning for her team-leading eighth home run of the season. Timbrook (right) followed with a solo shot for her eighth of the year to tie Genovese for the team lead and put Caldwell on top 3-0. It is the second time this season that Genovese and Timbrook have hit back-to-back home runs. The Wilmington bats woke up in the fifth inning, as Lindsay Watson hit a run-scoring double and then scored on a two-run home run by Brooke Berger that tied the game at 3-3.
The score remained deadlocked heading into the bottom of the seventh. With two outs, Ryan singled and freshman Dia Cascone (Staten Island, NY/Susan Wagner) drew a walk. Wilmington intentionally walked Genovese to load the bases, bringing up Timbrook. After taking the first two pitches, Timbrook roped a single down the left field line, scoring Ryan with the game-winning run. It is the second walk-off hit this season for Timbrook, who is batting a team-leading .478.
Freshman Kourtney Wilson (Islip, NY/St. Anthony's) went the distance for Caldwell, giving up three runs on four hits while fanning two and walking one to improve to 10-5 on the season. Wilmington's Heather Karasek pitched 5 2/3 innings of relief and allowed one run on two hits and six walks to absorb the loss.
Next up for the Cougars is a CACC doubleheader at the University of the Sciences on Monday, Apr. 19, beginning at 3:00 p.m. in Philadelphia, Pa.
