COUGARS SOFTBALL

SOFTBALL SWEEPS FELICIAN

4-28-06
CC 5, FC 3
CC 2, FC 1
LODI, N.J. - The Caldwell College softball team won a pair of close games with Felician College in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference doubleheader at Kennedy Park Friday afternoon. The 13th-ranked Cougars defeated the Golden Falcons 5-3 and 2-1 to improve to 29-15 overall and 14-3 in the conference to remain atop the CACC standings. Felician drops to 21-20, 11-9 CACC.

The Cougars took an early 1-0 lead in the first game on back-to-back doubles by seniors Katie Jackson (Pennsville, NJ/Pennsville) and Gina D'Amico (Turnersville, NJ/Washington Twp.), left, in the top of the first inning. D'Amico sparked a three-run third inning when she brought home sophomore Alyssa Speno (Waterloo, NY/Waterloo) from third. Junior Stacy Falkowski (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads) followed with a double that scored D'Amico and senior Kristi Godfrey (West Babylon, NY/West Babylon) to make the score 4-0. The Cougars took a 5-0 lead in the top of the fourth on D'Amico's third RBI of the game, a single that scored sophomore Nicole Bodrog (Mt. Laurel, NJ/Lenape) from second.

Felician cut the lead to 5-2 with runs in the fourth and sixth innings, and added another run in the seventh. The Golden Falcons had an opportunity to tie the game with runners on second and third with two out in the bottom of the seventh, but senior Jessica Saunders (Glen Burnie, MD/Archbishop Spaulding) fanned Kelly Barton to end the game. Saunders gave up 12 hits but held Felician to three runs to improve to 12-7. She also struck out 10 batters, marking the sixth time this season she has reached double-figures in strikeouts.

In the second game, Caldwell broke a scoreless tie in the top of the sixth inning with a pair of runs. After the Cougars loaded the bases with two out, Speno was hit by a pitch, scoring senior Amy Coker (Pennsville, NJ/Pennsville). Bodrog followed with a single that plated senior Kim Birmingham (Pine Hill, NJ/Overbrook) to put the Cougars ahead 2-0. In the bottom of the sixth, Felician scored an unearned run on an RBI double by Brittany Steiner to make the score 2-1 in favor of Caldwell. But junior pitcher Anna Dahl (Lindenwold, NJ/Camden Catholic), right, retired the side in order in the bottom of the seventh to clinch the win.

Dahl (11-7) was dominant in the circle, yielding just three hits and an unearned run while fanning seven and walking one.

The Cougars will attempt to clinch their third-straight CACC regular-season title when they host Georgian Court University on Saturday, Apr. 29. The doubleheader begins at 1:00 p.m. at Caldwell Field.

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