LONG BALL, PITCHING LIFT COUGARS OVER RAMS
4-12-06
CC 10, PHILA. 2
CC 8, PHILA. 0
CALDWELL,
N.J. - Strong pitching from starters Jessica Saunders (Glen Burnie,
MD/Archbishop Spaulding), left, and Ceci Goforth (Houston, TX/St.
Agnes Academy), combined with three home runs helped the 24th-ranked
Caldwell College softball team earn a sweep of Philadelphia University, 10-2
and 8-0 Wednesday afternoon at Caldwell Field. The wins give the Cougars a
12-2 mark in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference and an overall
record of 21-11. The Rams fall to 4-26, 3-9 CACC.
The Cougars struck first, scoring a run in the bottom of the first inning on
an RBI single by senior Kim Birmingham (Pine Hill, NJ/Overbrook).
Three more runs in the third put Caldwell ahead 4-0. Sophomore Nicole
Bodrog (Mt. Laurel, NJ/Lenape) led off with a single and later scored on
a sacrifice fly by senior Gina D'Amico (Turnersville, NJ/Washington
Twp.). Birmingham followed with her second RBI single of the game. Senior
Amy Coker (Pennsville, NJ/Pennsville) then tripled, scoring the third
run of the inning.
Senior Katie Jackson (Pennsville, NJ/Pennsville) extended the
Cougars' lead in the bottom of the fifth, when she led off the inning with a
solo home run. After the Rams scored a pair of runs on a double by Jenn
Clark and a home run by Lindsey Field off reliever Sara Neely
(Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex), Caldwell ended the game with five runs in the
bottom of the sixth. With the bases loaded and no outs, Bodrog doubled,
scoring sophomore Meghan Johnston (Kirkland, WA/Lake Washington) and
Jackie Velardi (Belleville, NJ/Belleville). Jackson followed with a
walk-off, three-run home run that gave Caldwell a 10-2 win. She has hit a
career-best seven home runs this season.
Saunders (9-5) kept the Rams' hitters at bay, allowing just four hits and a
walk while striking out 10 in five innings of work. She fanned seven
straight over run stretch to help her record at least 10 strikeouts for the
fourth time this season. Neely, who made her first collegiate pitching
appearance, retired the next three batters after yielding two runs to set up
Jackson's heroics.
In
the second game, the Cougars again scored in the first inning, when
sophomore Alyssa Speno (Waterloo, NJ/Waterloo) led off with a single,
stole second, advanced to third on a sacrifice fly and came home on a passed
ball. Caldwell blew the game open with six runs on six hits in the second
inning. Junior Anna Dahl (Lindenwold, NJ/Camden Catholic), Speno and
D'Amico each had RBI doubles, while Bodrog and Jackson also drove home runs
in the inning. Dahl gave the Cougars an 8-0 lead with a lead-off homer in
the third, her third home run of the season.
Goforth (1-0), right, scattered seven hits over five innings to earn her
first victory and shutout of her collegiate career. She also had four
strikeouts with no walks. Speno and Dahl both went 2 for 2 with two runs and
two RBIs in the second game. On the day, Jackson was 4 for 5 with five RBIs,
Birmingham went 4 for 5 with three RBIs and Bodrog was 3 for 5 with three
RBIs.
Next up for Caldwell is a non-conference doubleheader with Dowling College
on Thursday, Apr. 13. The first game is scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m. at
Caldwell Field.
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