COUGARS OPEN CACC SCHEDULE WITH SWEEP OF USP
3-30-05
CC 5, USP 1
CC 9, USP 0
PHILADELPHIA,
Pa. - The Caldwell College softball team began its defense of the
Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference regular-season title with a
pair of victories over the University of Sciences, 5-1 and 9-0,
Wednesday afternoon at McNeill Field. The Cougars, who hadn't played
since Mar. 20, improved to 6-3 on the season, while the Devils dropped
to 3-16 overall and 0-4 in the conference.
In the first game, the Cougars wasted little time in getting on the
scoreboard, as juniors Amy Coker (Pennsville, NJ/Pennsville)
and Katie Jackson (Pennsville, NJ/Pennsville) each had RBI
singles to give Caldwell a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Then in
the third inning, freshman Alyssa Speno (Waterloo,
NY/Waterloo), who scored the game's first run, led off with a double
and eventually scored on an error. Later in the inning with the bases
loaded, an error allowed juniors Anna Dahl (Lindenwold,
NJ/Camden Catholic), pictured right, and Jackie Velardi
(Belleville, NJ/Belleville) to score, giving Caldwell a 5-0 lead. The
Devils scored a run in the fifth to break up the shutout.
Dahl went the distance for Caldwell, striking out 12 batters and
walking two to improve to 2-1 on the season. The 2004 All-CACC
selection fanned 9 of the 10 USP batters in the lineup at least once,
while allowing seven hits. Katie Campoli took the loss for the Devils
after allowing six hits and five runs, one earned.
In
the second game, junior Jessica Saunders (Glen Burnie,
MD/Archbishop Spaulding), pictured left, hurled a one-hit shutout to
lead the Cougars to a 9-0 win. Saunders, who struck out nine and
walked three, had a no-hitter through 5 2/3 innings until Kristen
Matise singled. Saunders is now 3-2.
The Cougars had their best game offensively thus far this season, with
13 hits. Coker and Jackson each had two hits and two RBI, Dahl had a
pair of doubles, and Velardi hit a grand slam in the sixth inning.
Velardi's homer was the first of the season for Caldwell, who had been
averaging 3.0 runs per game before the series with USP.
The Cougars return to action on Thursday, Mar. 31, when they host a
doubleheader with Nyack College at 2:30 p.m. at Caldwell Field. The
game was originally scheduled to be played at Nyack but field
conditions forced the game to be moved to Caldwell.
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