CALDWELL, N.J.- In a battle between two regionally ranked teams, the Caldwell University softball team emerged with a pair of wins against St. Thomas Aquinas in a non-conference doubleheader. The Cougars took the opener 4-2 and won the nightcap 5-1. Caldwell is ranked third in the East Region, while the Spartans are ninth in the region.
 
The Cougars improve to 30-7 overall, while Spartans drop to 20-18.
 
In the opener, Caldwell got on the board in the first inning as freshman Jessica Klein (Trevose, Pa.) led off with a single stole second. Junior Taylor Mischler (Endicott, N.Y.) followed with a double and reached third on a throw. Senior Maya Rodriguez (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) drove in Mischler with a ground out to put the Cougars up 2-0.
 
The teams matched runs in the second as the Spartans got on the board with a run. The Cougars answered in their half of the inning as Klein singled and scored later in the inning on a Rodriguez single.
 
St. Thomas Aquinas closed the gap in the fifth as they scored a run but Caldwell answered in their half of the inning. Junior Courtney Grundhauser (Easton, Pa.) doubled in a run to push their lead back to two runs at 4-2.
 
Senior Mariah Culver (Owego, N.Y.) improved to 12-2 as she tossed a complete game, allowing two unearned runs on nine hits with three strikeouts.
 
In the nightcap, the game was scoreless through three innings before the Cougars broke through in the fourth. Grundhauser doubled with one out, while senior Emma Cooney (Livingston, N.J.) followed with a triple to score Grundhauser.
 
Caldwell added four runs in the fifth as Mischler hit an inside the park homerun with two outs. Rodriguez followed with a single and freshman Allison Winters (Blairstown, N.J.) connected on a two-run homerun. The Cougars tacked on one more run as Grundhauser singled and stole second. Freshman Ashleigh Tavaska (Jackson, N.J.) followed with a double to push their lead to 5-0.
 
The Spartans got a run back in the sixth but senior Kayla Daly (Babylon, N.Y.) closed the door on a rally. Daly (15-2) earned the win, tossing a complete game, allowing one run on six hits with four strikeouts.
 
The Cougars travel to co-conference leader Georgian Court University for a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference doubleheader on Saturday, April 23 at 2 pm.