WILMINGTON, Del. – There is nothing easy about going up against a nationally-ranked team, but for a Post University Softball team that has struggled for most of the year, they held their own against 21^st-ranked Wilmington University in their conference doubleheader on Saturday afternoon in Delaware. A narrow 3-1 loss in game one would give way to a 9-2 defeat in game two as the Eagles were swept by the Wildcats, dropping their 10^th and 11^th straight games.

THE BASICS

Post University 1, #21 Wilmington University 3

Post University 2, #21 Wilmington University 9

Post University (5-37, 2-18 CACC)

#21 Wilmington University (33-12, 17-1 CACC)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Game 1: Post University 1, #21 Wilmington University 3
Taking the lead first in this affair, the Eagles got back-to-back hits from senior shortstop Caitlin DeAngelis, who led off with a double, and graduate outfielder Samantha Riccardulli to take a 1-0 lead on the nationally-ranked Wildcats. The lead would be short-lived as the first two batters reached base against freshman left-hander Devin Barnett before graduate infielder Sam Freeland scored the tying run with her ground out.

From there, Wilmington would take the lead with senior third baseman Sara Miller's one-out double to go ahead 2-1 before Barnett escaped the inning. Against senior right-hander Haley Downin, the Eagles would be held to four hits over the final six innings with none of them reaching second base. Downin got her third win of the season after going the complete game while allowing the one run on six hits with nine strikeouts on 93 pitches.

Just as efficient was Barnett who despite the loss had six solid innings in which she scattered 11 hits, allowing just three runs (two earned) with two strikeouts and no walks on 84 pitches. The third and final run of the game came for Wilmington in the fourth on a stolen base in which the muffed throw by senior third baseman Jenny Riquelme allowed senior infielder Bri Coyle to score.

Game 2: Post University 2, #21 Wilmington University 9  
In another highly competitive game two, the Wildcats looked to seize control early by scoring the first four runs of the game over the first two innings before Post would answer back. Wilmington would do it off a sacrifice fly from junior outfielder Gabriella Saucedo, an infield single from senior first baseman Arianna Millan, and a two-run double by junior catcher Tristyn Stewart to take a 4-0 lead after two.

Senior infielder Lily Tomasiello helped trim that deficit in half after the Eagles loaded the bases with nobody out in the third, roping a two-run single down the left field line to make it a 4-2 game. Sophomore left-hander Delani Sheehan would go on to retire the next three Post hitters on a fielder's choice and two strikeouts, maintaining the two-run edge for the Wildcats.

Another opportunity to cut into their deficit presented itself to the Eagles in the fourth when they had two on and one out for the top of the lineup, but junior right-hander Kylee Gunkel, who relieved Sheehan at the start of the inning, got out of the threat. Against senior right-hander Maddison Caldwell, senior shortstop Lexi Moore tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the frame with her RBI single before Caldwell got Saucedo to fly out to end the inning.

Moore's hit would begin a stretch of five unanswered runs as Downin singled home a run in the fifth along with junior catcher Emma Zimmerman's run-scoring ground out. Senior outfielder Isabella Eleazar would help the Wildcats add on two more runs in the sixth against Riquelme behind her RBI single and then a double steal in which she was thrown out at second on, giving Wilmington plenty of breathing room in the seventh for the 9-2 win.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Lily Tomasiello is still at eight home runs this season, keeping her one home run away from tying the single-season record set by Megan Pappas (2005) and Erica Ragazzone (2017) with nine home runs
• Caitlin DeAngelis remains at 17 career home runs keeping her one behind Megan Pappas (18) for third-most in program history and two behind Kayla Kresley (19) for second-most
• Post University falls to 2-31 when allowing the first run of the game this season – the Eagles are 3-6 when scoring first in a game
• Having lost 11 straight games, the losing streak ties Post University for the second longest in program history with the 11-game losing streak they had from March 11^th, 2008 until March 18^th, 2008

WHO'S NEXT 
Post University finishes the road side of their 2024 schedule with a doubleheader against St. Thomas Aquinas College on Tuesday afternoon starting at 2:30 PM. Playing a neutral site game down in Florida last year, the Eagles lost 4-1 against the Spartans after splitting a home doubleheader against them the year before.