Felician Athletics - 4/26/08 SOFTBALL - Brocker Shutout Keeps Softball Alive In Playoff Race

NEW CASTLE, Del. – Junior Nicole Broecker (Staten Island, NY) pitched a four-hit shutout as Felician College defeated host Wilmington (Del.) University, 2-0, in Game 1 of the teams’ Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference softball doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Asbury Field. The victory kept Felician in the running for the sixth and final CACC playoff berth. Wilmington earned a 2-0 win in Game 2.

All of the offense in the opener came in the top of the first inning. Katie Spera (Lanoka Harbor, NJ/Lacey Township) drew a one-out walk, and scored one batter later ahead of Samantha Ortiz’s (Brooklyn, NY/Midwood) fourth homerun of the season. Broecker (6-8) took over from there, allowing only one runner to reach third base and retiring the final eight batters she faced. She struck out four and walked three in tossing her second consecutive shutout and fourth of the season.

Heather Van Dyke (West Milford, NJ/West Milford) went 3 for 4 and Sherry Flynn (Oakland, NJ/Indian Hills) added two base hits for the Golden Falcons (14-22, 9-12). The Wildcats’ Nicole Gebhart (Wilmington, DE/Concord) was 2 for 3, and pitcher Katie Turner (Smyrna, DE/Smyrna) gave up seven hits and struck out seven in a complete game.

Right-hander Kim Lawrence (Wilmington, DE/McKean) pitched a one-hitter to led Wilmington (29-15, 16-6) to victory in the nightcap. In the top of the first, Felician’s Jenna Krowl (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) singled through the right side, and Ortiz was hit by a pitch. Lawrence escaped the inning on a groundout, and allowed just two more baserunners the rest of the day. She struck out six batters and walked one.

The Wildcats’ Shustine Wilson (Gloucester City, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) scored on a Felician throwing error in the first, and had an RBI single in the second in going 3 for 3. Felician hurler Dara DeSocio (Cliffside Park, NJ/Paramus Catholic) threw a six-hitter with three strikeouts.

Felician has three CACC make-up games upcoming, and needs to win all three to catch sixth-place University of the Sciences and qualify for the conference tournament. The Golden Falcons host 13th-place Goldey-Beacom College on Monday at 10:30 a.m., then travel to first-place and nationally-ranked Georgian Court University for a single game on Tuesday.

Game 1 Box
Game 2 Box