CALDWELL, N.J. -- Junior center fielder Kenzie Nazionale (Ontario, Calif.) delivered a game-winning single in the bottom of the seventh of game one and sophomore DP Amanda Preston (Warwick, R.I.) executed a perfect squeeze bunt to walk it off in game two as Caldwell University softball won its 10th and 11th straight, tight non-league victories over Molloy, 2-1 and 3-2 at Caldwell Athletic Field on Monday afternoon. Caldwell (20-12) has now won 20 of its last 21 games and is 18-3 against East Region competition.

Game one was scoreless until the top of the seventh, when Molloy (10-24) pushed across and unearned marker against starter and winner junior Katie O'Connor (Charlottesville, Va.). Sophomore SS Sam DiDonna (Staten Island, N.Y.) led off the bottom of the frame with a ringing double to right center and advanced to third on a sacrifice by freshman DP Eden Ehle (Medford Lakes, N.J.). After soph 2B Liza Mannarino (Albany, N.Y.) was hit by a pitch and stole second, freshman LF Melissa Lugo (Gilroy, Calif.) slapped a single past third to tie the game and move Mannarino to third. Nazionale then blooped one over third, just inside the foul line, for the clincher.

O'Connor, the reigning CACC Pitcher of the Week, allowed four hits, fanning six against no walks for her ninth win in her last 10 decisions.

In game two, the Cougars evened the game at 1-1 on an infield sacrifice fly by sophomore pinch hitter Lexi Weiss (Norristown, Pa.) in the fourth, then took the lead in the sixth when freshman pinch runner Sofia Calas (Roselle Park, N.J.) scampered home when sophomore catcher Emily Kurth (Toms River, N.J.) was able to stay in a rundown between first and second.

After Molloy tied it in the top of the seventh and put runners on second and third with one out, winning pitcher soph Haleigh Fisher (Smyrna, N.Y.) recorded a strikeout and induced a groundout to short to keep it tied. Then in the last of the seventh, Kurth led off with a walk and was replaced by sophomore Emily Tavaska (Jackson, N.J.). Freshman RF Kendall Mazur (Millville, N.J.) sacrificed Tavaska to third, before Preston laid down a bunt to the pitcher, Tavaska sliding head first and just beating the tag for the win.

The Cougars next visit Bridgeport in a matchup of the top two teams in the CACC standings, Wednesday at 2:30 p.m.