WILMINGTON, Del. – After splitting a pair of Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference games against Philadelphia University on Tuesday afternoon, the Goldey-Beacom College softball team will finish the 2012 regular season by playing a pair of CACC doubleheaders at Chestnut Hill and Caldwell.
The Lightning will visit Chestnut Hill for a pair of games against the Griffins on Thursday afternoon before ending the schedule at Caldwell on Saturday afternoon.
With just four games remaining in the regular season schedule, the Lightning currently stands in a tie for ninth place with Holy Family in the CACC standings with identical 10-12 records. The top eight teams in the final CACC standings will qualify for the conference tournament, which will be hosted by Georgian Court University from April 26-28.
Now 20-21 overall and 10-12 in the CACC, the Lightning has split its last eight games after Tuesday's split against the Rams. The Lightning won the first game by a 10-2 margin in five innings, but dropped the nightcap by a 3-2 margin in eight innings.
Sophomore outfielder
Michelle Foster (Overbrook H.S./West Berlin, N.J.) led the Lightning against the Rams on Tuesday, posting four hits with two runs scored and a run batted in. Meanwhile, junior pitcher
Ashley Antosh (Twin Valley H.S./Honey Brook, Pa.) earned her fourth win of the season in the opener by scattering five hits in five innings with four strikeouts. She did not walk a batter for just the third time this season.
Foster is the Lightning's leading hitter with a .354 average, which ranks 18th in the CACC. In addition, she has a team-high 46 hits and ranks second on the team with 27 runs scored. Meanwhile, freshman shortstop
Samantha Alonzo (Roy C. Ketcham H.S./Wappinger Falls, N.Y.) ranks second on the team with a .342 average and 41 hits, but has driven in a team-high 32 runs this year while playing in 40 games.
Sophomore pitcher
Roni Peters (Leonardtown H.S./Leonardtown, Md.) has been the Lightning's leader this year in the circle, posting an 8-5 record with a 3.63 earned run average. In her last four starts, she has posted a 1.56 earned run average while posting 15 strikeouts with just four walks. She pitched the first six innings in Tuesday's 3-2 loss and allowed just one earned run with two strikeouts in earning a no-decision.
Entering Thursday's doubleheader against the Lightning, the Griffins have a 2-26 overall record, including a 2-20 mark in the CACC. The Griffins have lost four straight games after dropping a pair of CACC outings against Wilmington on Tuesday afternoon by scores of 6-0 and 10-1.
Junior first baseman
Gina Cavallo (St. Joseph's H.S./Turnersville, N.J.) is the Griffins' leading hitter with a .324 average and a team-high 22 hits. She also has three home runs and 11 runs batted in. Meanwhile, junior pitcher
Mandi Rush (Royersford, Pa.) has posted a team-high 12 complete games with 33 strikeouts.
After Thursday's doubleheader against the Lightning, the Griffins will end the season with a doubleheader at Post on Friday before traveling to the University of Bridgeport for a non-conference doubleheader on Sunday.
While Chestnut Hill will not qualify for the CACC Tournament, Caldwell enters the final stretch of the regular season in second place in the CACC standings with a 19-3 conference mark. The Cougars, who have a 33-10 overall record, split a pair of CACC games on Monday afternoon against Wilmington. After winning the first game by a 3-1 margin, the Cougars had their six-game win streak snapped with a 4-3 loss in the nightcap.
Freshman
Kristen Knorr (Delsea Regional H.S./Monroeville, N.J.) leads the CACC with a .450 batting average and is tied for the CACC lead with seven home runs. Meanwhile, freshman first baseman
Briana Gaspich (Brick Memorial H.S./Brick, N.J.) leads the CACC with 52 runs batted in and has a .414 batting average, which ranks fifth in the conference.
Junior pitcher
Kourtney Wilson (St. Anthony's H.S./Islip, N.Y.) ranks third in the CACC with 15 wins this season and has a 2.62 earned run average. Currently 15-4 on the season, Wilson has recorded 59 strikeouts in 128.1 innings while allowing just 15 walks. In addition, freshman pitcher
Sarah Almasy (Sterling H.S./Stratford, N.J.) has a 10-2 record with a team-low 2.53 earned run average.
The doubleheader against Goldey-Beacom will serve as the regular season finale for the Cougars on Saturday. They will host C.W. Post in a doubleheader on Wednesday before traveling to Dominican on Friday for a doubleheader between the top two teams in the CACC.
The Lightning swept a doubleheader from Chestnut Hill last year at the Jackson Athletic Complex while splitting a doubleheader with Caldwell.
Lightning Strikes: The Lightning posted their first 20-win season since 2005 by splitting Tuesday's doubleheader … It is the second time Goldey-Beacom has won at least 20 games in a season as a Division II program … Foster, who has a four-game hitting streak, enters the final four games of the regular season needing just two hits to tie the Lightning single-season record of 48 hits, which was set by
Lauren Witzke in 2009 … In addition, senior first baseman
Jordan Waterloo (Thomas Stone H.S./Waldorf, Md.) needs just three hits to become the 10th player in school history with at least 100 career hits … She has posted 31 hits this year in 41 games … Senior outfielder
Shannon Graves (Glassboro H.S./Glassboro, N.J.) has a hit in six consecutive games … Over the last 10 games, she has posted a .364 average with 12 hits, including a pair of triples.
