WILMINGTON, Del. – As the final week of the 2012 regular season begins, the Goldey-Beacom College softball team will begin its quest to securing a berth in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Softball Championship by hosting Bloomfield College and Philadelphia University in a pair of crucial CACC doubleheaders at the Jackson Athletic Complex.
After hosting the Deacons on Monday afternoon, the Lightning will play its final home games of the season on Tuesday afternoon by entertaining the Rams in a doubleheader that starts at 3:30 p.m. The doubleheader against the Rams will also serve as the site for the College's “Swing for the Stars” fundraiser to benefit the Make-a-Wish Foundation.
Now 18-19 overall and 8-10 in the CACC, the Lightning currently holds the ninth position in the CACC standings and trails Post University by two games pending the results of the Eagles' doubleheader against Bloomfield on Sunday afternoon. However, the Lightning has lost five of its last seven games after splitting a pair of CACC games against Concordia on Saturday afternoon.
Senior outfielder
Shannon Graves (Glassboro H.S./Glassboro, N.J.) led Goldey-Beacom in the split against the Clippers on Saturday afternoon, collecting three hits with two stolen bases. She recorded two hits with a stolen base in the Lightning's 5-1 loss in the first game before helping Goldey-Beacom to a 2-1 victory with a hit and a stolen base.
Meanwhile, sophomore pitcher
Roni Peters (Leonardtown H.S./Leonardtown, Md.) added three hits, including two hits in the second game. She also threw a complete game in the 5-1 loss, but struck out six hitters while allowing just one walk. It was her fifth complete game of the season.
Freshman shortstop
Samantha Alonzo (Roy C. Ketcham H.S./Wappinger Falls, N.Y.) continues to be the Lightning's top hitter with a .352 batting average and a team-high 28 runs batted in. She is also second on the team with 38 hits and tied for second on the team with five doubles. Meanwhile, sophomore outfielder
Michelle Foster (Overbrook H.S./West Berlin, N.J.) ranks second on the team with a .342 average and has a team-high 40 base hits.
The Deacons entered Sunday's doubleheader against Post with a 24-15 record, including a 9-7 mark in the CACC. Prior to Sunday, the Deacons held the fifth spot in the CACC standings. Bloomfield had a four-game win streak snapped against Chestnut Hill with a 9-8 loss in the second game of a doubleheader on Saturday.
Junior
Alexandra Smith (Kileen, Texas) has been the Lightning's leading hitter this season, posting a .412 batting average prior to Sunday's doubleheader against Post. She also has a team-high 49 hits, including five home runs. In addition, she has been the Deacons' top pitcher with an 8-5 record and a 1.80 earned run average, which ranks third in the CACC.
Meanwhile, sophomore shortstop
Angie Yoshizu (Kaneohe, Hawaii) has played a vital role in the Deacons' offense by contributing a .370 batting average, which ranks second on the team. She ranks second on the team with 47 hits, including 10 doubles.
The Rams will enter Tuesday's doubleheader against Goldey-Beacom with a 10-27 overall record, including a 7-13 mark in the CACC. However, Philadelphia University has lost six of its last eight games after being swept in a non-conference doubleheader against Molloy on Sunday afternoon.
The Rams, who have struggled offensively this year with a .230 team batting average, are led by sophomore
Meaghan Lewis (Chenango Valley H.S./Binghamton, N.Y.). She has a team-high .327 batting average and 32 hits, including a team-high six home runs, while scoring 20 runs in 35 games.
Meanwhile, a pair of freshmen have teamed up to handle a majority of the Rams' pitching duties.
Samantha Abromavage (Jefferson Township H.S./Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) has posted a 5-12 record with a 4.75 earned run average while
Nicole Troisi (Pope John Paul H.S./Norristown, Pa.) has earned a 5-10 record this year along with a 4.09 earned run average. Both pitchers have tallied 11 complete games this year.
The Lightning dropped both games against Bloomfield last year while splitting a doubleheader against the Rams.
After Tuesday, the Lightning will have just four games left in the regular season. On Thursday afternoon, Goldey-Beacom will travel to Chestnut Hill for a CACC doubleheader before ending the schedule at Caldwell on Saturday afternoon.
Lightning Strikes: The doubleheader against Bloomfield on Monday was rescheduled from March 24 due to inclement weather … It will mark the second time this season that Goldey-Beacom has played on a Monday … The Lightning dropped a pair of CACC games last Monday against Dominican … Foster became the 12th player in school history to record 40 or more hits in a single season … She is eight hits shy of the single-season record, which was set in 2009 by
Lauren Witzke … Graves was caught stealing for the first time this season in the first game against Concordia on Saturday, snapping a streak of 14 straight stolen bases … She has 15 stolen bases in 17 attempts this year and needs one stolen base to match the school single-season record that was set by Witzke during the 2010 season … Senior outfielder
Cailin Cavanaugh (Newark H.S./Newark, Del.) tied the school record by hitting her eighth career triple on Saturday … Three of Cavanaugh's last four hits have resulted in extra bases, including a pair of home runs against Holy Family on Wednesday … The Lightning has struggled with runners in scoring position over the last three games … Goldey-Beacom is 0-for-21 in those situations … Peters stole two bases on Saturday, marking the third time this year that a Goldey-Beacom player has swiped two bases in the same game.
