CC 6, GBC 5
CC 6, GBC 5
CALDWELL, N.J. - The Caldwell College softball team rallied in both games to sweep Goldey-Beacom College, 6-5 and 6-5 in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Caldwell Field. The wins marked the end of the regular season for the Cougars, who are now 37-12 overall and 21-5 in league play. The Lightning ends its season at 22-23, 12-14 CACC.
With the Cougars trailing 4-2 in the bottom of the fourth inning of Game 1, freshman Sara Zambelli (West Milford, NJ/West Milford) singled home freshman Megan Fryday (San Marcos, CA/Mission Hills) to make the score 4-3. Then in the fifth, junior Dia Cascone (Staten Island, NY/Susan Wagner) scored on an error, and sophomore Nicole Velardi (Belleville, NJ/Belleville) drove in freshman Briana Gaspich (Brick, NJ/Brick Memorial) for a 5-4 Caldwell lead. But Goldey-Beacom came back in the top of the seventh, scoring on an error to tie the game at 5-5.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Cougars loaded the bases with one out for senior Marisa Tamez (Fountain Valley, CA/Fountain Valley), who hit a laser down the left field line to score Gaspich for the game-winning run. Tamez, who was playing in her final home doubleheader, and Velardi had two hits. Cascone led off the game with a home run and went 2-for-2, while Gaspich was 3-for-4.
Freshman pitcher Hanna Walkinshaw (Aptos, CA/Aptos) tossed 3 2/3 innings of relief, allowing an unearned run on three hits. Cailin Cavanagh and Ashley Zaccaria homered for the Lightning.
In the second game, Caldwell answered two Goldey-Beacom runs in the top of the second with an RBI double from freshman Alyssa Calderon (Fontana, CA/Etiwanda) in the bottom of the third to make the score 2-1 Lightning. Goldey-Beacom struck again in the fourth with two more runs, including a homer by Jordan Waterloo, and added a run in the fifth to lead 5-1.
The Cougars' struggles at the plate lasted until the bottom of the seventh inning. After Cascone was hit by a pitch and freshman Kristen Knorr (Monroeville, NJ/Delsea Reg.) singled, Gaspich unloaded a blast over the fence in right-centerfield for her ninth home run of the season to make the score 5-4 Lightning. Caldwell put runners on second and third with two outs and Zambelli batting. She hit a bouncer to short and beat the throw to first, allowing Velardi to score from third. The throw got away from the first baseman, and sophomore Jessica Miller (Sicklerville, NJ/Winslow Twp.) came around to score the game-winning run, completing the improbable comeback.
Fryday went 3-for-3, and both Knorr and Gaspich had two hits apiece. Cascone's run in the bottom of the seventh gave her 53 runs on the season, breaking Gina Capardi's single-season school record for runs. Capardi scored 52 times in 2008.
Walkinshaw entered the game in the fifth and tossed 2 1/3 perfect innings to earn her second victory of the day and improve to 11-5.
Along with Tamez, seniors Rebecca Ashley (N. Bellingham, MA/Mt. St. Charles Acad.) and Katie Margiotta also played their final home games of their careers on Saturday. The trio has played in three NCAA Division II East Region Tournaments and has helped Caldwell win 148 games in three-plus seasons.
The Cougars have clinched the No. 2 seed in the CACC Tournament, which will be held Apr. 26-28 at Georgian Court University in Lakewood, N.J.
