PHILADELPHIA -- Sophomore 3B Michael Cruz (Miami) had three hits in the opener and senior LF Noah Putney (Glassboro, N.J.) hit his first home run of the season as Caldwell baseball dropped both ends of an interdivisional CACC doubleheader at Jefferson, 10-6 and 8-4, at Alumni Field on Sunday.

In the opener, Cruz's RBI single plated senior RF Zach Saunders (Adelphi, Md.) for a 1-0 Cougars lead in the first inning. Saunders then doubled in junior SS Sean Brown (West Orange, N.J.) to put Caldwell (8-16, 7-8 CACC) ahead 2-1.

After the Rams took their first lead, an RBI single by Cruz and scamper home on a wild pitch by Saunders put CU back in front. But a four-run fifth did the Cougars in, despite a sixth-inning RBI single by Cruz and home run by sophomore DH Christian Petino Jr. (Flemington, N.J.).

In the nightcap, Putney's home run to left put the Cougars on the board in the fifth, getting CU to within 3-1. But Jefferson (22-11, 10-4) tacked on three in the bottom of the frame and held on for the victory despite a late Cougars rally that included an RBI double by sophomore second baseman Stephen Young Jr. (Middlesex, N.J.) and run-scoring single by senior 1B Oscar Fajardo (Brentwood, N.Y.).

Caldwell next steps out of CACC play with a contest at Molloy on Tuesday.