Holy Family University Athletics

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Caldwell, N.J. - The Holy Family University softball team came up short at Caldwell University in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) doubleheader on Sunday afternoon as the Cougars defeated the Tigers by the scores of 2-1 and 6-2 at Caldwell Field.
 
Holy Family is now 12-9 overall and 12-8 in the CACC, while Caldwell improves to 15-9 overall and 9-1 in conference play.
 
Junior Alexis Daubert (Stratford, N.J./Sterling) led the Tigers' offense with four hits (4-6) on the afternoon after going 2-for-3 at the plate in both games.  Junior Kristine Casey (Newark, Del./Caravel) and sophomore Bailey Walters (Ridgecrest, Calif./Burroughs) accounted for the Tigers' runs.  Walters hit her fourth home run of the season for the team's lone run in game one, while Casey came through with a two-run shot in game two marking her first career long ball. 
 
In the pitching circle, Walters went a combined 10.2 innings between both games.  She allowed just one earned run and scattered seven hits.  She finished the afternoon with three strikeouts and five walks.
 
Game One: Caldwell 2, Holy Family 1
 
The opening game featured a pitching duel between Walters and Caldwell junior Amber Padilla.  Both pitchers held the opposition scoreless through the first three innings until Holy Family broke through in its half of the fourth inning.
 
Walters helped her own cause with a solo home run to left field to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead.  She continued to hold the Cougars off the scoreboard the next two innings.  However, in the sixth, Caldwell rallied to score a pair of runs to take a 2-1 lead.
 
With two outs in the inning, freshman Marisa Monasseri hit a solo home run over the left-center field fence to tie the game 1-1.  After Monasseri's homer, the next two Cougars batters reached base.  With runners at first and second, freshman Kiahna Silva reached after a fielding error by the Tigers and as a result the go-ahead run was able to cross the plate.
 
Walters (4-4) allowed two runs (1 earned) in six innings of work.  She finished with a pair of strikeouts, while walking four batters.
 
In the top half of the seventh, freshman Jennifer Trapp (Castle Rock, Colo./Douglas County) led the inning off with a single.  After back-to-back strikeouts, Daubert followed with a single of her own to keep the inning alive.  However, Padilla was able to get out of the inning as she forced sophomore Brianna Scotto (West Babylon, N.Y./West Babylon) to ground out to third base to close out the game.
 
Padilla (9-3) allowed just one run on seven hits in seven innings of work as she struck out five batters. Junior Brielle Reighn led the Cougars with two hits (2-for-3) in the game.
 
Game Two: Caldwell 6, Holy Family 2
 
In game two, Caldwell opened with a four run first inning and followed with two more runs in the second to take a 6-0 lead on the Tigers early in the game.  Sophomore Amy Hickman highlighted the first inning with a two-run single to cap the scoring. Hickman finished the game 3-for-3 with two RBI. 
 
In the second inning, junior Caitlin McCready singled in a run and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Monasseri. 
 
Holy Family collected eight hits off starting pitcher, sophomore Sydney Ponto, but struggled getting runs across.  It wasn't until the sixth inning that the Tigers finally got to Ponto.  Walters led the inning off with a single and Casey followed with her first career home run to make the score 6-2.  Casey connected on a two-run shot over the left field fence.
 
Two batters later, Daubert singled to left field and was followed with a double by senior Kristy Tomlinson (Philadelphia, Pa./Franklin Towne Charter) to give the Tigers runners at second and third.
 
However, Ponto managed to retire the next two batters to avoid any further damage.  Then in the seventh after allowing a lead off walk to freshman Jenna Vasquez (Newark, Del./Caravel Academy), Ponto retired the next three batters to earn her fifth win of the season.
 
Ponto (5-4) went the distance for the Cougars and allowed two runs on eight hits.  She struck out five and issued three walks in seven innings.
 
Daubert (2-for-3) and Casey (2-for-4) each tallied a pair of hits for the Tigers. 
 
Holy Family is back in action on Tuesday, April 15 as the Tigers host Molloy College in a non-conference doubleheader.  Game one is slated for 3 p.m. at Helen Randle Park in Newtown, Pa.