CALDWELL, N.J. - The Caldwell College baseball team split a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference doubleheader with Chestnut Hill College, winning the first game 4-3 before falling 7-4 in the second game Monday afternoon at the Kiwanis Oval. The results give the Cougars an 8-9 record overall, including a 3-1 mark in conference play. The Griffins are now 6-12, 2-2 CACC.

Caldwell took an early lead in the first game with a run in the bottom of the first inning. Freshman Paul Nyitray (Cranford, NJ/St. Joseph) led off the inning with a double, then scored on an error for a 1-0 lead. Then in the fifth, junior Joe Doerrer (Middletown, NJ/Raritan) blasted a two-run homer to straight-away centerfield to put the Cougars up 3-0. The bomb marked the first home run at newly-renovated Kiwanis Oval. In the top of the sixth, freshman Stephen Dodd (Milford, PA/Delaware Valley) hit a sacrifice fly that plated sophomore Anthony Morena (Westbury, NY/Holy Cross) for a 4-0 advantage. Chestnut Hill made a late push with a solo home run by Andrew Donofry in the eighth and two more runs in the ninth to make the score 4-3. But freshman reliever Gary Gurino-Burns (N. Massapequa, NY/Plainedge) shut the door, recording the final two outs for his third save of the season.

Freshman right-hander Dan Bartlett (Levittown, NY/Island Trees), right, turned in a solid outing, allowing three runs, two earned, on five hits while striking out nine and walking none in 8 1/3 innings. Morena, freshman Joe O'Donnell (Belleville, NJ/Belleville) and sophomore Adolfo Lopez (Ontario, CA/Ontario) had two hits apiece for Caldwell. Chestnut Hill's Dan Morgan absorbed the loss after allowing three runs, two earned, in five innings.

The second game started with the Griffins scoring twice in the top of the first. The Cougars responded with two runs in the bottom of the first to tie the game at 2-2. With runners on second and third, senior Juan Mejia (Ocean City, NJ/St. Augustine), left, hit an infield single to the left side, scoring Doerrer from third. The shortstop's throw to first was wild, allowing junior Jorge Ynoa (Bayside, NY/Bayside) to come home on the play. The Griffins took the lead with a run in the top of the fifth, then put three more runs on the board in the top of the seventh to lead 6-2. In the eighth, Mejia led off with a home run to left, his second of the season. Freshman Stephen Luczaj (N. Merrick, NY/Mepham) doubled home freshman Andrew Nunez (East Elmhurst, NY/Cardozo) to make the score 6-4. But Chestnut Hill added a run in the top of the ninth and retired the Cougars in order in the bottom of the ninth to earn the win and the split.

Junior Craig Gourley (Point Pleasant Beach, NJ/Point Pleasant Beach) started and pitched six innings, giving up three runs, one earned, on four hits while fanning nine and walking two. Morena, Mejia, Nyitray and Luczaj each had two hits. Ryan Weber tossed seven innings for the Griffins, allowing two runs on eight hits to earn the victory. Jesse Daywalt hit two triples and a double, and scored three times in the win.

The Cougars play another CACC doubleheader at Bloomfield College on Tuesday, Mar. 29. The first game is set to start at 12:00 p.m. at Westside Park in Newark, N.J.