Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
LAKEWOOD, N.J. – The Caldwell College softball team split a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference doubleheader at Georgian Court University, losing the first game 3-2 and winning Game 2 5-1 Sunday afternoon at the GCU Softball Field. The Cougars, who clinched the CACC regular-season title yesterday, are now 39-5 overall and 23-2 in league play. The Lions complete their regular season at 27-20 overall and 19-7 in the CACC.

In Game 1, Georgian Court took a 1-0 lead on an RBI single from Emma Erbig in the bottom of the first. Sophomore Brielle Reighn (Runnemeade, NJ/Triton Regional), who hit five doubles in a doubleheader sweep of Chestnut Hill yesterday, doubled home junior Kristen Knorr (Monroeville, NJ/Delsea) and sophomore Caitlin McCready (Jupiter, FL/Dwyer) in the top of the third to put Caldwell ahead, 2-1. In the bottom of the fifth, Briana Molino hit a two-run single to regain the lead for the Lions, 3-2. The Cougars advanced a runner to second base in the seventh but were unable to score, suffering just their second conference loss of the season.

Sophomore pitcher Amber Padilla (Chino, CA/Pomona Catholic) took the loss, allowing three runs on nine hits while striking out four in six innings. Abigail Merryman held the Cougars to two runs on five hits over seven innings for the win. Reighn now has 22 doubles on the season to tie the school record, set by All-American Kyrie Timbrook in 2010.

Caldwell struck first in Game 2, as junior Megan Fryday (San Marcos, CA/Mission Hills) hit a solo home run in the top of the second inning, her fourth of the season. Then in the fifth, junior Alyssa Calderon (Fontana, CA/Etiwanda) hit a sacrifice fly and Fryday singled to plate McCready for a 3-0 lead. Knorr made it 5-0 with a two-run home run in the top of the sixth. The blast was her team-leading seventh of the season. Georgian Court scored its only run of the game in the seventh on a double by Justine Mattia.

Freshman Sydney Ponto (West Deptford, NJ/West Deptford) limited the Lions to one run on five hits while striking out four in seven innings to improve to 14-2 on the season. Knorr and Fryday each recorded two hits and two RBIs for Caldwell, while Knorr eclipsed the school record for runs in a season with 58.

The Cougars wrap up the regular season with a CACC game against Felician College on Monday, Apr. 28. Game time is set for 4:00 p.m. at Caldwell Field.