Felician Athletics

PHILADELPHIA – In its final games of the regular season, the Felician College softball team clinched a berth in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Tournament by sweeping a CACC doubleheader from host Philadelphia University, 6-1 and 4-0, on Monday afternoon. Felician (19-14, 11-11), which has won six games in a row and seven of its last eight, plays its first-round playoff game against Wilmington (Del.) College on Thursday at noon in Wall, N.J.

Sophomore pitcher Nicole Broecker (Staten Island, NY/Moore Catholic) did not allow an earned run in a complete game victory in Game 1, and junior Dara DeSocio (Cliffside Park, NJ/Paramus Catholic) tossed a five-hit shutout in Game 2. Freshman Nicole Degenhardt (Secaucus, NJ/Secaucus) drove in two runs in each game, including the go-ahead run in the playoff-clinching nightcap. The Golden Falcons needed both wins to claim the No. 6 seed in the CACC Tournament over Dominican (N.Y.) College via tiebreaker.

Meredith Rainer had 4 RBI on Sunday

WILMINGTON, Del. -- The Felician College softball team won two games, 7-2 and 4-1, against host Goldey-Beacom College in CACC action on Sunday afternoon. Combined with other conference results over the weekend, the doubleheheader sweep keeps Felician (17-14, 9-11) alive for a CACC Tournament berth.

Felician's CACC doubleheader at Philadelphia University on Friday was rained out and rescheduled for Monday at 3 p.m., and is the only regular-season league action remaining. Should the Golden Falcons win both games on Monday, they would beat out 11-11 Dominican (N.Y.) College in a tiebreaker for the No. 6 seed in the six-team playoff.

DeSOCIO

NYACK, N.Y. -- The Felician softball team earned its first CACC doubleheader sweep of the 2007 season on Tuesday afternoon, taking two games from host Nyack College, 4-1 and 6-3 at Hilltop Field.

In Game 1, Felician (15-14, 7-11) received a five-hitter from junior right-hander Dara DeSocio (Cliffside Park, NJ) (6-6). DeSocio struck out three batters and walked one, and came within one out of her second shutout of the season.

The Golden Falcons received run-scoring singles from Nicole Broecker (Staten Island, NY) in the first inning and Meredith Rainer (Wantage, NJ) in the third. Rebecca Dodd (Oakland, NJ) hit her first career homerun in the fifth en route to a 3 for 4 performance. Heather Van Dyke (West Milford, NJ) was also 3 for 4 for Felician. Melanie Susen (Haledon, NJ) drove in the Warrior run with a bases-loaded walk.