FC 8, CC 0 (5 inn.)
GCU 4, CC 2
LAKEWOOD, N.J. – The Caldwell College softball team lost twice on the first day of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Tournament Thursday morning at Georgian Court University. The Cougars (37-14) fell to Felician College, 8-0 in five innings before losing to Georgian Court, 4-2 to be eliminated from the tournament.

In the day's first game, Caldwell gave up three-run home runs to Ciera Clark in the third and Carissa Trujillo in the fourth. Clark also hit a solo home run in the second, while Aimee Lopez had an RBI double in the fourth. Senior Katie Margiotta (Sewell, NJ/Washington Twp.) and freshman Briana Gaspich (Brick, NJ/Brick Memorial) had the lone hits for the Cougars, who advanced runners into scoring position three times but could not get the key hit.

Caldwell was victimized by the long ball again in the second game, as GCU's Rachel Ruch hit two two-run homers in the first and fifth innings. Sophomore Nicole Velardi (Belleville, NJ/Belleville) singled home Gaspich in the bottom of the first. Trailing 4-1 in the bottom of the seventh, freshman Alyssa Calderon (Fontana, CA/Etiwanda) hit a two-out single to bring home freshman Kristen Knorr (Monroeville, NJ/Delsea) to make the score 4-2. With runners on first and third, Lions' pitcher Brooke Hull forced the final batter to ground out to second for the game's final out.

Freshman pitcher Hanna Walkinshaw (Aptos, CA/Aptos) started and allowed four runs, three earned, on five hits while striking out six and walking three in five innings. Junior pitcher Kourtney Wilson (Islip, NY/St. Anthony's) tossed two scoreless innings of relief. Offensively, Gaspich, Velardi and junior Dia Cascone (Staten Island, NY/Susan Wagner) had two hits apiece.

The Cougars, who are ranked third in the latest NCAA Division II East Region rankings, will wait to see if they will receive an at-large bid to next week's regional tournament.