LAKEWOOD, N.J. – The Caldwell University softball team defeated Dominican College, 5-2 to win the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Tournament Saturday afternoon at the GCU Softball Complex. The Cougars (34-12-1) capture their sixth CACC championship and receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division II East Region Tournament.

In the bottom of the second inning, a two-out single by senior Kristen Knorr (Monroeville, NJ/Delsea) brought home sophomore Amy Hickman (Jackson, NJ/Jackson Liberty) with the game's first run. Then in the third, Hickman drove in senior Sarah Almasy (Stratford, NJ/Sterling) with a grounder for a 2-0 lead. Dominican scored an unearned run on an error in the top of the fourth to make the score 2-1. But for the second game in a row, senior Alyssa Calderon (Fontana, CA/Etiwanda) hit a three-run home run to left in the bottom of the fourth to give the Cougars a commanding 5-1 advantage. The Chargers scored a run in the seventh on a double by Shannon Haukap, but it was not enough to prevent Caldwell from winning its second title in three years.

Junior Amber Padilla (Chino, CA/Pomona Catholic) pitched a complete game, allowing two runs on six hits to improve to 18-5. Calderon, who hit a three-run homer to defeat Wilmington University, 4-3 on Friday, was chosen the tournament's MVP. Padilla, junior Caitlin McCready (Jupiter, FL/Dwyer) and freshman Kortney Craker (San Marcos, CA/Mission Hills) joined Calderon on the all-Tournament Team.

The Cougars, who were ranked first in the latest East Region rankings, will begin play at the NCAA East Region Tournament on Friday, May 8 at a location to be announced Monday, May 4 at 10:00 a.m. on NCAA.com.

2015 CACC Softball Tournament - Hosted by Georgian Court, Lakewood, N.J.
Thursday, April 30

Game 1 - #1 Caldwell 8, #8 Georgian Court 0 (5 inn.)
Game 2 - #2 Dominican 6, #7 Bloomfield 2
Game 3 - #3 Wilmington 4, #6 Felician 0
Game 4 - #5 Holy Family 2, #4 Post 0 (8 inn.)
Game 5 –#4 Post 7, #8 Georgian Court 1
Game 6 – #7 Bloomfield 4, #6 Felician 0
Game 7 – #1 Caldwell 9, #5 Holy Family 1 (6 inn.)
Game 8 – #3 Wilmington 3, #2 Dominican 2

Friday, May 1
Game 9 –#2 Dominican 4, #4 Post 2
Game 10 – #7 Bloomfield 3, #5 Holy Family 2
Game 11 – #1 Caldwell 4 #3 Wilmington 3
Game 12 – #2 Dominican 6, #7 Bloomfield 0
Game 13 – #2 Dominican 3, #3 Wilmington 0

Saturday, May 2
Game 14 – #1 Caldwell 5, #2 Dominican 2

CACC All-Tournament Team
Alyssa Calderon, Caldwell - MVP
Kortney Craker, Caldwell
Caitlin McCready, Caldwell
Amber Padilla, Caldwell
Shannon Haukap, Dominican
Emily Larson, Dominican
Alyssa Schwed, Dominican
Becca Stanley, Wilmington
Cambria Ziemba, Wilmington
Janese Timmons, Bloomfield
Kirsten Wilson, Bloomfield
Kayla Kresley, Post
Taylor Favinger, Holy Family
Amanda Lopez, Felician
Dara Schroeder, Goergian Court