CC 8, USP 0 (5 inn.)
CC 2, USP 1 (9 inn.)
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - A sacrifice fly by senior Brittni Frantellizzi (Binghamton, NY/Susquehanna Valley) in the top of the ninth inning allowed the Caldwell College softball team to win the second game of a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference doubleheader at the University of the Sciences, 2-1 and complete a sweep of the Devils Monday afternoon at McNeil Field. The Cougars, who won the first game 8-0 in five innings, are now 29-11 overall and 15-3 in conference play, while USP drops to 13-19, 11-9 CACC.
With the score tied 1-1 after eight innings in Game 2, the teams used the international tie-breaker rule and began each half of the ninth inning with a runner on second base. In the top of the ninth, junior Annie Forte (Toms River, NJ/Toms River North) moved to third on a sacrifice bunt from freshman Kelly Schymanski (Pottstown, PA/Owen Roberts). Frantellizzi, left, stepped up and drove in Forte with a fly ball to right to put the Cougars ahead 2-1. After USP sacrificed the runner to third in the bottom of the ninth, freshman pitcher Kourtney Wilson (Islip, NY/St. Anthony's) retired the final two batters on a groundout and a lineout to clinch the win for Caldwell.
Freshman Dia Cascone (Staten Island, NY/Susan Wagner) drove in a run with a single to give Caldwell a 1-0 lead in the fifth. USP answered in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI single by Gabrielle Adams that tied the game at 1-1.
Wilson pitched all nine innings and allowed one run on nine hits while striking out three and walking one to improve to 11-5. The Devils' Courtney Spina also went the distance and took the loss.
In the first game, the Cougars started fast with two runs in the top of the first inning. Senior Kyrie Timbrook (Los Gatos, CA/Los Gatos) doubled home Cascone, then scored on a single by sophomore Marisa Tamez (Fountain Valley, CA/Fountain Valley) for a 2-0 lead. Forte drove in two runs in a three-run third inning, then Genovese, right, hit a three-run home run in the fourth to put Caldwell on top 8-0. It was Genovese's ninth homer of the season, tying her with Stacy Falkowski (2007), Katie Jackson (2006) and Theresa Davison (2000) for the program's record for home runs in a season. Genovese is also tied for second with Jackson on Caldwell's all-time home run list with 19 career homers.
Junior Brittany Pulido (Ojai, CA/Nordhoff) improved to 15-3 on the season after holding the Devils to two hits and no runs in four innings. Sophomore Juliette Wilson (Dallas, OR/West Salem) pitched a scoreless inning of relief, striking out two of the three batters she faced.
Caldwell hosts Post University in another CACC doubleheader on Tuesday, Apr. 20. The first game starts at 3:00 p.m. at Caldwell Field.
