CALDWELL, N.J. -- Senior 1B Brooke Martin (Oakland, Maine laced a two-out single to center, plating freshman catcher Amanda Preston (Warwick, R.I.) in the bottom of the seventh for the second walkoff win of the day, a wild 9-8 triumph over Assumption in non-league softball action at Caldwell Athletic Field on Sunday. The Cougars also took the opener in their last at bat, a 6-5 win in nine innings.

In the opener, the Cougars (3-10) trailed, 3-0, before they batted in the first, but quickly tied it on an two-run homer by Martin and an RBI single by freshman 3B Emily Tavaska (Jackson, N.J.). Then, behind 5-4, they again rallied, plating the tying run in the bottom of the fifth on a two-out single by freshman DP Lindsay Oller (So. Plainfield, N.J.). 

Then in the ninth, Caldwell loaded the bases with no one out on singles by sophomore LF MacKenzie Nazionale (Ontario, Calif.), sophomore pinch hitter Amanda Batista (Carteret, N.J.) and soph CF Brooke Freschi (Hasbrouck Heights, N.J.) before Preston, in the game as a pinch hitter, hit a topper towards the middle that the AU shortstop fielded but whose throw home was too late to get Nazionale to give CU the exciting win.

In the nightcap, the hosts let all of a 7-0 lead evaporate when the Greyhounds (1-15) scored eight in the fifth, tied it on a single by senior SS Ashleigh Tavaska (Jackson, N.J.) in the bottom of the sixth, setting up Martin's heroics in the seventh.

Sophomore righthander Katie O'Connor (Charlottesville, Va.) earned the win in relief in both games, taking over with no outs in the first inning of the opener, permitting just one earned run and seven hits over the next nine innings. Then in game two, she came on in the sixth, tossed 1 2/3 perfect innings and was the beneficiary of the walk-off win to boost her record to 3-4.

Oller had two hits and two RBI in the opener, Tavaska drove in six in the nightcap with a three-run home run, two sacrifice flies and the sixth-inning single.

The Cougars next host New Haven on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. at Caldwell Athletic Field.