CALDWELL, N.J. - The Caldwell College baseball team fell to Bloomfield College, 3-2 in a non-conference meeting Wednesday afternoon at the Kiwanis Oval. The loss marked the final regular-season home game for the Cougars, who are now 16-22 on the season. The Deacons, who swept the Cougars in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference doubleheader earlier this season, improve to 13-23.

Caldwell jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on a single by senior Juan Mejia (Ocean City, NJ/St. Augustine) that plated junior Joe Doerrer (Middletown, NJ/Raritan). Bloomfield answered with two runs in the top of the second inning to lead 2-1. In the bottom of the fourth, freshman Andrew Nunez (East Elmhurst, NY/Cardozo) led off with a single, moved to second on a wild pitch, stole third and later scored on a single by freshman Paul Nyitray (Cranford, NJ/St. Joseph) to tie the game at 2-2. The score remained knotted until the top of the sixth, when Mike Judd hit a two-out, RBI single to put Bloomfield on top, 3-2. The Cougars loaded the bases in the sixth and put two runners on base in both the seventh and ninth innings, but the lineup failed to come through with the key hit.

Mejia, Doerrer and freshman Stephen Dodd (Milford, PA/Delaware Valley), pictured, each recorded two hits to pace the offense. Junior right-hander A.J. Boardman (Sunnyside, NY/St. Francis Prep) allowed seven hits and an unearned run in 4 2/3 innings of relief to take the loss. Bloomfield's Kevin Baumiller tossed 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to pick up the win.

The game marked the final regular-season home contest for Mejia and fellow senior Anthony Velazquez (Flushing, NY/Bayside), a pitcher who has been injured for most of the season. Caldwell might qualify to host a first-round playoff game in the CACC Tournament on May 10, depending on its finish in the final regular-season standings.

The Cougars play a non-conference game at No. 6 Southern Connecticut State on Thursday, Apr. 28, beginning at 3:30 p.m. in New Haven, Conn.