WILMINGTON, Del. – Returning home after a doubleheader split on Wednesday afternoon, the Goldey-Beacom College softball team will open a six-game homestand on Saturday when the Lightning hosts Concordia College in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference doubleheader at the Jackson Athletic Complex.
Saturday's doubleheader, which is slated to begin at 1 p.m., will also serve as the Lightning's Senior Day. The team's seven seniors will be honored prior to the first game with a ceremony starting at approximately 12:30 p.m.
Now 17-18 overall and 7-9 in the CACC, the Lightning stands in ninth place in the conference standings after splitting a pair of games against Holy Family on Wednesday afternoon. Post University, which split a pair of games against Goldey-Beacom last week, is in eighth place in the CACC standings with a 9-11 record.
The top eight teams at the end of the regular season qualify for the CACC Tournament at Georgian Court from April 26-28.
After earning a 4-3 victory over Holy Family on Wednesday afternoon, the Lightning dropped a 9-0 verdict in five innings as the Tigers salvaged a split of the doubleheader. Senior outfielder
Cailin Cavanaugh (Newark H.S./Newark, Del.) led the Lightning to the one-run win on Wednesday by connecting on a pair of solo home runs. She gave Goldey-Beacom a 1-0 lead in the second inning with a solo shot to center field before adding a solo home run to left field in the fourth inning for a 2-0 edge.
Cavanaugh, who is hitting .333 this season, became the fourth player in school history to hit two home runs in the same game and the first player since current senior
Danie Rice (Kingsway Regional H.S./Mullica Hill, N.J.) had two home runs in a win over Lincoln (Pa.) in 2010.
In addition, Cavanaugh and Rice became the fourth and fifth players in school history to appear in 150 or more career games. Both players have appeared in 151 career games entering play on Saturday.
Freshman shortstop
Samantha Alonzo (Roy C. Ketcham H.S./Wappinger Falls, N.Y.) is the Lightning's leading hitter with a .359 average and also has a team-high 27 runs batted in, which is tied for fifth in the CACC. Meanwhile, sophomore outfielder
Michelle Foster (Overbrook H.S./West Berlin, N.J.) has a .355 batting average and leads the Lightning with 39 hits, including five doubles.
Currently 8-17 overall and 5-13 in the CACC, the Clippers enter Saturday's doubleheader with a nine-game losing streak after dropping a pair of games against league-leading Concordia on Wednesday afternoon. The Clippers have not won since a 5-2 victory over Nyack on March 30.
The Clippers took a 1-0 lead in the first game on a solo home run by junior outfielder
Kristina Patrocinio (J.P. Stevens H.S./Edison, N.J.) before the Chargers answered with six straight runs to earn the victory. Dominican, which leads the CACC with a 19-1 league record, scored 13 unanswered runs in the second game to post a 13-1 victory in five innings in the nightcap.
Patrocinio is the Clippers' leading hitter with a .361 average while contributing four home runs and 14 runs batted in. Meanwhile, senior
Victoria Pisciotta (Kellenberg Memorial H.S./New Hyde Park, N.Y.) has a .351 average and leads the Clippers with 27 hits, including five doubles.
Junior
Theresa Magnani (Plainedge H.S./Bethpage, N.Y.) and freshman
Amanda Martinez (Lindenhurst H.S./Lindenhurst, N.Y.) have combined to handle the pitching duties for the Clippers. Magnani is 6-6 this season with a 3.56 earned run average. She has posted 36 strikeouts in 78.2 innings. Meanwhile, Ramirez is 2-9 with one save and a 6.23 earned run average.
The Clippers swept a doubleheader against Goldey-Beacom last year, winning the first game in 12 innings by an 8-7 margin before a 7-2 victory in the second game.
After Saturday's doubleheader, the Lightning will host Bloomfield on Monday afternoon in a doubleheader that was rescheduled from March 24. The first game is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m.
Lightning Strikes: Goldey-Beacom has a 6-4 record at home this year … Alonzo has played very well at the Jackson Athletic Complex, posting a .393 batting average with nine runs batted in … Alonzo has also posted 11 of her 27 RBIs this season in two-out situations … Senior outfielder
Shannon Graves (Glassboro H.S./Glassboro, N.J.) ranks fourth in the CACC with 13 stolen bases … The Lightning's all-time leader with 38 steals, she has not been caught stealing once this year … Goldey-Beacom ranks fourth in the CACC with a .293 batting average.
