LAKEWOOD, N.J. – The fifth-seeded Post University softball team split on day one of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Tournament. The Eagles defeated #4 Dominican 8-0 in five innings to open the day and nearly pulled off an upset in game two, falling to #1 Caldwell 6-5 in eight innings.
Game One – #5 Post 8, #4 Dominican 0, F/5
Post used a seven-run first inning to roll to a victory in game one. Sophomore
Leyri Rivera (Dover, N.J.) doubled to begin the frame. Classmate
Brianna Koref (Springfield, N.J.) singled to put runners at the corners. Senior
Emily Schaffer (Hazlet, N.J.) followed with a sac fly as Post led 1-0. After a double by freshman
Demi Rivera (Hazlet, N.J.), senior
Sara Selimovski (Watertown, Conn.) crushed a three-run homer into the trees to extend the Eagles lead to 4-0 and force a pitching change with just one out.
Sophomore
Skylar Devorin (Millville, Del.) singled with two outs to load the bases. The Eagles added two more runs on a wild pitch and passed ball. Devorin came home to score the final run of the inning as
Leyri Rivera was caught in a rundown for the last out.
Freshman
Bridget Betley (Fairfield, N.J.) kept Dominican at bay all afternoon to earn the win. The Chargers best chance to score came in third as a walk and a single put runners at second and third with two outs before a groundout ended the inning.
Demi Rivera put the game out of reach with a solo shot to left field in the fifth. After a leadoff walk in the bottom, Betley shut the Chargers down in order. She tossed a complete game allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out four.
Game Two – #1 Caldwell 6, #5 Post 5, F/8
A bases-loaded walk after two very close calls on the base paths that would have ended in the inning proved to be the difference as Caldwell took the game in extra innings.
Two-out doubles by Schaffer and
Demi Rivera, put the Eagles in front 1-0 in the first, but the Cougars answered with three of their own in the bottom of the frame. Post had another two-out rally in the second as freshman
Cassidy Petrie (Staten Island, N.Y.) walked. Devorin followed with an inside-the-park home run to right center that tied the game 3-3.
Schaffer and Rivera came up big again in the third as they each opened with a double to put Post ahead 4-3. After a base hit by Selimovski, freshman
Megan McCormack (Franklin Square, N.Y.) reached on a fielder's choice that extended the lead to 5-3.
The Eagles committed an error in the fourth and two batters later Caldwell knotted the score 5-5 with a homer to center. Post looked to answer once again as the first two batter reached in the fifth, but both were stranded in scoring position.
Bats went quiet from there on both sides until the eighth as the Cougars hit two singles and drew to walks to plate the winning run.
Betley was stellar in relief as she tossed 4.0 innings and was perfect until the eighth with three strikeouts.
Post will play #2 Wilmington in an elimination game tomorrow at 11 a.m. The Eagles will need to win three games on Friday to advance to Saturday's championship series.
