Softball

Release Courtesy of Kirk Reed, CACC Sports Information Director 

LAKEWOOD, NJ (May 4, 2007) - The top three seeds in the 2007 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Softball Tournament have survived the first two days of action and will vie for the championship Saturday afternoon. Top seed Georgian Court is the only team without a loss (2-0) and will need only one win Saturday to wrap up the championship. No. 2 Caldwell and No. 3 Wilmington will meet at 11:00 am to start the day, with the winner having to defeat the Lions twice to earn the title.

The winner of the Caldwell/Wilmington game will face Georgian Court at 1:00 pm with an "if necessary" game to follow at 3:00 pm. Caldwell will be looking to win its fourth-consecutive tournament championship.

Sophomore righty Samantha Sasko led the Lions to a 4-1 win over Caldwell by hurling 7.0 innings and allowing only three hits and one run to go with nine strikeouts. Ashley Wierema, Heather Walker and Mallory Kirchner led the way at the plate by combining to go 6-for-10 with four runs batted in. Each collected two hits in the game.

The Lions broke open a 1-1 game in the bottom of the sixth with three runs. Wierema provided at 2-run single in the inning and Kirchner also recorded an RBI single.

No. 6 Felician defeated #5 Post, 9-0, to eliminate the Eagles in the first game of the day. The Golden Falcons were led by Heather Van Dyke and Nicole Broecker. Van Dyke went 4-for-4 with two runs and an RBI, while Broecker hurled a complete game and also went 3-for-4 with a run and two RBI at the plate.

Broecker worked 6.0 innings and surrendered just two hits and zero walks while fanning five. Shannon Firetto notched both of the Eagles' hits. Leading 3-0 in the top of the sixth, the Golden Falcons pounded out six hits en route to six runs in putting the game out of reach.  

Wilmington eliminated Felician in the final game of the day, 6-1, behind freshman pitchers Katie Turner and Kim Lawrence. Turner went 4.2 innings and allowed three hits and no runs, while Lawrence worked the final 2.1 innings and allowed one run on three hits.

Felician struggled in the field and committed five errors in the game, leading to three unearned runs. The Golden Falcons committed two errors in a decisive fourth inning which saw Wilmington score five runs on three hits. Wilmington scored their runs in the inning on a bunt, a ground-out, a single and on a fielding error.

Feshman 2B Heather Bush went 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI to help lead the Wilmington offense. Felician catcher Heather Van Dyke finished the day 7-for-8 at the plate after going 3-for-4 against the Wildcats.

Full Tournament results are below.

May 3

Game 1 - #5 Post 2, #4 Bloomfield 1

Game 2 - #3 Wilmington 3, #6 Felician 2

Game 3 - #1 Georgian Court 3, #5 Post 1

Game 4 - #2 Caldwell 7, #3 Wilmington 5

Game5 - #6 Felician 3, #4 Bloomfield 1

May 4

Game 6 - #6 Felician 9, #5 Post 0

Game 7 - #1 Georgian Court 4, #2 Caldwell 1

Game 8 - #3 Wilmington 6, #6 Felician 1

May 5

Game 9 - #2 Caldwell vs. #3 Wilmington - 11:00 am

Game 10 - Caldwell/Wilmington vs. #1 Georgian Court - 1:00 am

Game 11 - 3:00 pm (if necesarry)