Box Score
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. – A sacrifice fly from freshman Amy Hickman (Jackson, NJ/Jackson Liberty) brought home junior Megan Fryday (San Marcos, CA/Mission Hills) in the seventh inning to lift the Caldwell College softball team past Georgian Court University, 2-1 at the NCAA Division II East Region 2 Tournament Sunday afternoon at Adelphi University's Janet L. Ficke Field. The Cougars (44-7) advance to face LIU-Post for the East Region championship next week.

With the game tied at 1-1 in the top of the seventh, Fryday hit a one-out double to left. After senior Nicole Velardi (Belleville, NJ/Belleville) walked, a balk was called on pitcher Abigail Merryman, who had just entered the game in relief of Deanna Daluise. With the runners now on second and third, Hickman hit a line drive to shallow left field that was caught. Fryday broke from third and slid home safe for the go-ahead run.

Sophomore pitcher Amber Padilla (Chino, CA/Pomona Catholic) retired the Lions in order in the bottom of the seventh to clinch the victory. She gave up just two hits and one run while striking out four without a walk in seven innings to improve to 18-4. Padilla pitched all but one inning in the Cougars' three wins at the regional this weekend.

For the third straight game, Caldwell took the early lead with a run in the first inning. Junior Kristen Knorr (Monroeville, NJ/Delsea) led off the game with a walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from sophomore Caitlin McCready (Jupiter, FL/Dwyer). Sophomore Brielle Reighn (Runnemeade, NJ/Triton Regional) stepped up and singled to score Knorr for a 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the second, Georgian Court pulled even on a lead-off double by Taylor McDonough, a bunt from Emma Erbig and a sacrifice fly by Justine Mattia.

The Cougars managed just four hits off Daluise, who pitched 6 1/3 innings for the Lions. Knorr, McCready, Reighn and Fryday had the hits for Caldwell, which out-scored the opposition 13-3 over the three wins at the regional.

This is the farthest the Cougars have advanced in the region since the 2004 squad won the Northeast Region and advanced to the Division II Women's College World Series. Caldwell is now two wins away from advancing to the national tournament, as the Cougars will play a best-of-three series with LIU-Post to determine the East Region champion. The Pioneers (46-8) outlasted Southern New Hampshire, 7-6 in 13 innings to win the East Region 1 tournament, held at the University of New Haven.

Dates and times of the series with LIU-Post will be announced early next week.

2014 NCAA Division II East Region Softball Tournament
Host: Adelphi University, Garden City, N.Y.
Friday, May 9
Game 1: #6 Queens 5, #3 Adelphi 0
Game 2: #2 Caldwell 6, #7 Georgian Court 0Saturday, May 10
Game 3: #2 Caldwell 5, #6 Queens 2
Game 4:, #7 Georgian Court 9, #3 Adelphi 2
Game 5: #7 Georgian Court vs. #6 Queens, suspended

Sunday, May 11
Game 6: #2 Caldwell 2, Georgian Court 1

Host: University of New Haven, West Haven, Conn.
Friday, May 9
Game 1: #1 LIU Post 1, #8 Wilmington 0
Game 2: #5 S. New Hampshire 9, #4 New Haven 3 (9 inn.)

Saturday, May 10
Game 3: #1 LIU Post 3, #5 S. New Hampshire 2
Game 4: #8 Wilmington 2, #4 New Haven 1
Game 5: #5 S. New Hampshire 1, #8 Wilmington 0

Sunday, May 11
Game 6: #1 LIU Post 7, #5 S. New Hampshire 6 (13 inn.)