CC 7, UNH 6
UNH 13, CC 6
CALDWELL, N.J. - The Caldwell College softball team split a non-conference doubleheader with the University of New Haven, winning 7-6 and losing 13-6 Thursday afternoon at a chilly Caldwell Field. The results give the Cougars a 19-6 record on the season, while the Chargers are now 11-11.
With the score tied at 5-5 through six innings of Game 1, New Haven scored the go-ahead run on a bunt that plated Meghan Chamoff from third. In the bottom of the seventh, junior Dia Cascone (Staten Island, NY/Susan Wagner) reached on an error and scored on a single by freshman Kristen Knorr (Monroeville, NJ/Delsea Reg.) that was misplayed by the outfield. With the score tied at 6-6, the Cougars loaded the bases with nobody out. But a double play left Caldwell with runners on first and second and two out. Sophomore Jacklyn Bates (Waterloo, NY/Waterloo) stepped up and delivered a two-out single up the middle that scored sophomore Jessica Miller (Sicklerville, NJ/Winslow Twp.) from second with the game-winning run.
Freshman Briana Gaspich (Brick, NJ/Brick Memorial) hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the fourth, answering a three-run shot by Brooke Fisher in the top of the third. Freshmen Megan Fryday (San Marcos, CA/Mission Hills) and Alyssa Calderon (Fontana, CA/Etiwanda) each had two hits for Caldwell, while freshman Sarah Almasy (Stratford, NJ/Sterling) pitched an inning of relief to earn the win.
In the second game, Caldwell took a 3-0 lead with a run in the first on a run-scoring double by Gaspich and two more in the third. The Chargers tied the score with a run in the fourth and a pair of runs in the fifth to make the score 3-3. In the bottom of the sixth, junior Amy Leal (New Bedford, MA/Bishop Stang) hit a sacrifice fly to score freshman Sara Zambelli (West Milford, NJ/West Milford) and put the Cougars on top, 4-3. After Caldwell recorded the first out of the top of the seventh, New Haven struck for 10 runs on eight hits and two errors for a 13-4 advantage. Lindsey Couturier and Jess Spivey had two hits apiece in the inning, with Couturier driving in three runs.
Caldwell pushed two runs across in the bottom of the seventh, but the unlikely comeback ended as darkness fell on Caldwell Field. Calderon went 2-for-4 with two RBI, and senior Katie Margiotta (Sewell, NJ/Washington Twp.) had two hits.
Caldwell returns to action on Saturday, Mar. 31 with a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference doubleheader at Philadelphia University. The first game starts at 1:00 p.m. in Philadelphia, Pa.
