CALDWELL WINS THREE TO REPEAT AS CACC SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT CHAMPS
CALDWELL WINS THREE TO REPEAT AS CACC SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT CHAMPS
Saunders Named Tournament MVP
May 7, 2005
Courtesy of Matt McLagan Caldwell Sports Information
CALDWELL, N.J. – The Caldwell College
softball team survived a 12-inning marathon with Goldey-Beacom
College, then defeated Georgian Court University twice to capture
its second straight Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference
Tournament title Saturday afternoon at Caldwell Field. The Cougars
(39-9) will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II
Northeast Region Tournament, held May 12-15 at a site to be
announced on Monday. JuniorJessica Saunders (Glen Burnie,
MD) pitched a total of 16 2/3 innings on the day to earn
the tournament’s Most Valuable Player award.
The day started with a pitching dual between Saunders and
Goldey-Beacom freshman Kendra Russell(New
Castle, DE) in an elimination game. The two combined to
allow just nine hits and no runs through the first seven innings.
In the top half of the eighth,Devon O’Brien
(Wilmington, DE) drew a two-out walk, then scored on
Russell’s double to right centerfield for the first run of
the game. Carrie Flasphaler (Horseheads, NY)
led off the Cougars’ half of the eighth with a single, then
advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Desiree Wilson
(Gloucester City, NJ). Junior Amy Coker
(Pennsville, NJ) followed with a line-out, leaving the
Cougars one out from elimination. With two strikes against her,
junior Katie Jackson (Pennsville, NJ) drove
the ball into right centerfield, and Flasphaler beat the throw home
to tie the game at 1-1. After three more scoreless innings,
sophomore Anna Dahl (Lindenwold, NJ) led off the
bottom of the 12th with a home run to left field to win
the game and keep the Cougars alive in the tournament. Saunders
pitched all 12 innings to earn the victory, while Russell went the
distance for the Lightning (27-18).
The marathon victory allowed the Cougars to face second-seeded
Georgian Court, which defeated top-seeded Caldwell 2-0 on Friday.
Jackson put the Cougars on the board first with a two-run homer to
left in the fourth inning off of Lions’ starter Sherry Keech,
who pitched a shutout against Caldwell the day before. Then in the
fifth inning, Coker singled home a pair of runs and later scored on
an RBI single by Jackson to make the score 5-0. Georgian Court
rallied for a pair of runs in the top of the seventh, when
Heather Walker (Hanover, Ontario) doubled home
Nicole Fortino (Brick, NJ) and later scored on a
fielder’s choice. But the Cougars held on to win and force a
second game with the Lions to determine the champion. Dahl pitched
a complete game, allowing four hits, two walks and two runs while
striking out six to improve to 15-4.
Saunders came back on about two-and-a-half hours’ rest to
start the final game for Caldwell, retiring the first nine batters
she faced. In the bottom of the third, Coker and Jackson singled
back-to-back, then moved to second and third on a sacrifice bunt
from sophomore Jackie Velardi (Belleville, NJ).
Dahl knocked home Coker with a single to left, then junior
Kim Birmingham (Pine Hill, NJ) plated two runs
with a single to left to put the Cougars up 3-0. The Lions got one
run back in the top of the fourth on Fortino’s two-out single
to make the score 3-1. Saunders’ long day ended in the fifth
after recording two outs and allowing a walk and a single, giving
way to freshman Kristen de la Campa ( Whitman,
MA). After Autumn Florez (Manchester,
NJ) drew a walk to load the bases, Ashley Wierema
(Mundelein, IL) roped a shot up the middle. Junior
shortstop Gina D’Amico (Turnersville, NJ)
dove to her left to snare the grounder, then flipped the ball to
Coker for the force out at second to end the inning and end the
threat. De la Campa finished out the game, pitching 2 1/3 scoreless
innings to earn her first save of the season. Saunders improved to
16-5 after allowing three hits, a run and a walk while striking out
five. Jade Reid (Brampton, Ontario) took the
loss for Georgian Court (28-16).
The Cougars, who are ranked 11th in the latest National
Fastpitch Coaches Association Division II Top 25 Poll, will defend
their NCAA Division II Northeast Region Tournament crown next week.
Last season, Caldwell went 45-7 and advanced to the College
Softball World Series after winning both the CACC and Northeast
Region tournaments.
2005 CACC Tournament Champions Caldwell
College
2005 CACC Softball All-Tournament Team
Jessica Saunders, Caldwell College – MVP
Anna Dahl, Caldwell College
Gina D’Amico, Caldwell College
Carrie Flasphaler, Caldwell College
Katie Jackson, Caldwell College
Heather Walker, Georgian Court
Sherry Keech, Georgian Court
Julie Sito, Georgian Court
Ashley Wierema, Georgian Court
Tiffany Frick, Goldey-Beacom
Devon O’Brien, Goldey-Beacom
Kendra Russell, Goldey-Beacom
Dara DeSoccio, Felician
Jackie Scarpari, Felician
Nikki Shallcross, Wilmington
2005 CACC Softball Tournament, May 5-7 at Caldwell College (double elimination)
Thursday, May 5
Game 1: No. 5 Goldey-Beacom 2, No. 4 Post 1 (9 inn.) - box score
Game 2: No. 3 Felician 5, No. 6 Wilmington 4 - box score
Game 3: No. 1 Caldwell College 9, No. 5 Goldey-Beacom 1 (5 inn.) - box score
Game 4: No. 2 Georgian Court 1, No. 3 Felician 0 - box score
Game 5: No. 6 Wilmington 3, No. 4 Post 0 (8 inn.) - Post eliminated - box score
Friday, May 6
Game 6: No. 5 Goldey-Beacom 8, No. 6 Wilmington 1 - box score
Game 7: No. 5 Goldey-Beacom 3, No. 3 Felician 0 - box score
Game 8: No. 2 Georgian Court 2, No. 1 Caldwell College 0 - box score
Saturday, May 7
Game 9: No. 1 Caldwell College 2, No. 5 Goldey-Beacom 1 (12 innings) - box score
Game 10: No. 1 Caldwell College 5, No. 2 Georgian
Court 2 - box
score
Game 11: No. 1 Caldwell College 3, No. 2 Georgian Court 1 - box
score