Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Philadelphia, Pa. - (3/25/2015) – Faced with the prospect of a fourth consecutive shutout in the opener of this afternoon's Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) twin bill against visiting Georgian Court University, the Chestnut Hill College softball team made a spirited rally, scoring twice and putting the tying and winning runs on base in a wild bottom of the seventh inning. Unfortunately, the rally fell short as the Lions staved off the Griffins for a 3-2 triumph before using the momentum to secure the sweep with a 10-6 decision in a rain-shortened nightcap (six innings).
 
Playing at home for the first time this season, Chestnut Hill College (2-10, 0-4) was desperate to put some runs on the board after failing to score in each of its last three contests. Trailing by three, the Griffins finally broke a 28-inning drought in their last at-bat of the opener, putting some pressure on Georgian Court University (5-17, 4-0) sophomore pitcher Abby Merryman (Sewell, N.J.) with back-to-back singles from junior third baseman Laura Eidam (South Salem, N.Y.) and sophomore designated player Jenna Long (Wildwood, N.J.). Consecutive strikeouts brought Chestnut Hill College to the brink of defeat, but freshman shortstop Koraima Dudley (Levittown, Pa.) was hit by a pitch and junior catcher Megan Kehr (Exton, Pa.) guided a single up the middle to bring the hosts to within a run, 3-2. But with runners on second and third, junior left fielder Nicole Carney (Ontario, Calif.) grounded out to third to end the threat.
 
The Lions did all their damage in the top of the second inning, scoring three times with the benefit of four hits and a wild pitch against Griffin senior Courtney Dayter (Cohoes, N.Y.). Freshman catcher Stefanie Aplin and senior centerfielder Dara Schroeder (Bordentown, N.J.) had run-scoring singles in the frame, which handed Merryman (3-3) just enough offense to work with. Dayter went the distance, scattering eight hits with three strikeouts and a walk.
 
A sacrifice fly and RBI single got the Lions off to a 2-0 start in the first inning of game two, but Chestnut Hill College halved the deficit on a fielder's choice by Long, 2-1, in the bottom half. Georgian Court University struck back for four more in the fourth, the big blow coming on a bases-clearing triple by senior left fielder Alyssa Paradiso (Atco, N.J.), 5-1. Paradiso came around on the successive single by freshman shortstop JoLei Buonanno (Fishkill, N.J.), 6-1, and tacked on two more RBI with a fifth-inning double, 8-1. With a steady rain falling, the Griffins responded with two tallies in the fifth inning and three more in the sixth to pull within 10-6, but the umpires deemed field conditions unsafe and called the game at the end of the frame.

Paradiso finished 3-for-5 with five RBI in game two for the Lions, while Schroeder recorded two hits and scored three runs. Despite surrendering 11 hits and six runs (five earned) over six innings, freshman pitcher Katie Sorochka (Jackson, N.J.) earned the win (2-8) on the mound.
 
Dudley served as the Griffin table-setter, reaching base all four times with a 3-for-3 effort that included a walk and an RBI. She also scored three runs in the best game of her collegiate career. Carney and Kehr supported her from the next two spots in the order; the former was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and the latter 3-for-4 with an RBI, and each collected a stolen base. Long added a run-scoring single in the fifth inning for a 2-RBI night.
 
The softball team looks to snap a 10-game skid with a trip to Bloomfield College for a 12:00 p.m. CACC doubleheader on Sunday, March 29.