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PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Sophomore outfielder
Michelle Foster (Overbrook H.S./West Berlin, N.J.) and senior first baseman
Jordan Waterloo (Thomas Stone H.S./Waldorf, Md.) combined for eight hits and three runs as the Goldey-Beacom College softball team (22-21, 12-12) earned a sweep of a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference doubleheader against Chestnut Hill College (2-28, 2-22) at the CHC Softball Field on Thursday afternoon.
After earning an 8-0 victory over the Griffins in five innings in the opener, the Lightning posted a 6-1 win in the nightcap to earn their first doubleheader sweep since April 3 against Nyack.
With the wins, the Lightning moved into a tie for sixth place in the CACC standings with Bloomfield College (11-11) and Post University (12-12). The top eight teams in the final CACC standings qualify for the conference tournament, which is slated for April 26-28 at Georgian Court University.
After a slow start in the first game, the Lightning jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning. After Waterloo gave Goldey-Beacom a 1-0 lead by scoring on an error, sophomore
Ashley Zaccaria (Gloucester City H.S./Gloucester City, N.J.) upped the advantage to 2-0 when she scored on a wild pitch. With two outs in the inning, Graves scored on a single to left field by freshman shortstop
Samantha Alonzo (Roy C. Ketcham H.S./Wappinger Falls, N.Y.) for a 3-0 edge.
In the fifth inning, Goldey-Beacom added five more runs on six hits for a commanding 8-0 advantage. After freshman second baseman
Katrina Swank (Caravel Academy/Bear, Del.) drove in two runs with a bunt single, Graves hit a double to left field to score Swank for a 6-0 lead. Foster added another run on a single that scored Graves, upping the margin to 7-0. With two outs in the inning, Alonzo hit an RBI single to score Foster.
Sophomore pitcher
Roni Peters (Leonardtown H.S./Leonardtown, Md.) retired the Griffins in the bottom of the seventh inning to end the game and record the first solo shutout of her college career.
In the nightcap, the Lightning took a quick 2-0 lead in the second inning. Senior second baseman
Ashley Paige (Hodgson Vo-Tech H.S./Middletown, Del.) hit a double to left center field to drive in a run before Zaccaria added a run-scoring single up the middle with two outs for a two-run advantage.
Goldey-Beacom added four more runs in the fourth inning to extend its lead to 6-0. After senior catcher
Danie Rice (Kingsway Regional H.S./Mullica Hill, N.J.) singled and advanced to second on an error which allowed Paige to score, Zaccaria singled to center field to drive in Rice from second base for a 4-0 cushion.
Foster upped the Lightning advantage to 6-0 when she singled up the middle to score two more runs.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Griffins ended the Lightning's shutout bid when junior pitcher
Mandi Rush (Royersford, Pa.) reached on an error that allowed junior
Giana Cavallo (St. Joseph's H.S./Turnersville, N.J.) to score.
However, the Lightning held Chestnut Hill to just two hits over the next three innings to earn the doubleheader sweep.
Foster led the Lightning to the pair of victories by going 5-for-8 with a run scored and three runs batted in. In the second game, she set the Goldey-Beacom single-season record by recording her 49th hit of the second with a bunt single in the first inning. She has now posted 51 hits in 43 games this season, which ranks 13th in the CACC.
Meanwhile, Waterloo added three hits to become the 10th player in school history with 100 career hits. She reached the milestone in the second game with a double to right center field in the fifth inning. Waterloo also scored a pair of runs in the first game victory.
The Griffins, who were limited to five hits in the doubleheader, were led by freshman
Caitlin O'Neill (Elkton H.S./Elkton, Md.), who had two hits in the first game.
The Lightning will finish the regular season on Saturday afternoon when they travel to Caldwell College for a doubleheader against the Cougars at 1 p.m. Meanwhile, the Griffins will start a season-ending four-game road trip on Friday at Post University with a doubleheader.
Lightning Strikes: Goldey-Beacom has won four of its last six games … Chestnut Hill has lost its last six games in a row after a 9-8 victory over Bloomfield on April 14 … In addition, the Griffins were also shut out for the 14th time this season … When the Griffins scored in the second game on Thursday, it marked their second run scored in the last five games … The two hits allowed by the Lightning in the first game on Thursday marked the fewest hits allowed since April 3 against Nyack in the first game of a doubleheader sweep … It was also the last time the Lightning shut out an opponent … Peters upped her record to 9-5 on the season, becoming the seventh player in GBC history to earn nine or more wins in a season … In her last five starts, Peters has posted a 3-1 record with a 0.88 earned run average … Prior to Foster's 51 hits this year, the Lightning single-season hits record was set by
Lauren Witzke, who had 48 hits in 2009 … Foster also extended her hitting streak to six straight games … Over the last 10 games, Foster is hitting .394 with 13 hits and four runs scored … When Waterloo reached the 100-hit mark on Thursday, she became the fourth player on this year's team to reach the milestone … Graves has a hit in eight straight games and also posted her 16th stolen base of the season in the first game … She ranks fourth in the CACC in stolen bases … Senior outfielder
Cailin Cavanaugh (Newark H.S./Newark, Del.) hit the 22nd double of her college career in the second game, moving her into a tie for third place on the Lightning's career list … Alonzo recorded her third four-hit game of the season in the first game with four singles … The Lightning's 22 wins this season are the most since 2005 when Goldey-Beacom posted a 27-18 record and reached the CACC semi-finals … In addition, the team's 12 CACC victories are the most since 2006 when the Lightning had a 14-8 record and qualified for the CACC Tournament.
