Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Lakewood, N.J.- The Georgian Court University softball continues its quest to return to the postseason as the Lions split a crucial Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) doubleheader with Dominican College Tuesday afternoon. GCU swiped the first game, 8-5, before falling to the Lady Chargers by an 8-6 count in the nightcap. 

GAME ONE

The Georgian Court bats struck early and often in the opening contest as the Lions jumped out to an 8-0 lead after three innings of action. Dominican sliced the deficit in half in the top of the fourth after Samantha Fitzgerald (Fr.-Fishkill, N.Y.) crunched a grand slam to account for the quartet of tallies.

The Lady Chargers (19-16, 11-5 CACC) mustered another run in the fifth on a ribbie groundout from Alexandria Ledgerwood (Fr.-Salem,Ore.), but that would conclude the Dominican comeback threat.

Jessica O'Neil (6-10) went the distance to earn the pitching win for the home team, yielding five runs (3 ER) on 10 hits and a walk. Desiree Joines (Jr.-Stewartstown, Pa.) dropped to 5-9 for the Lady Chargers after lasting just 1.1 innings in the defeat (5 R, 4 ER, 2 H, 3 BB, 2 K).

Bryana Smith (1-for-4, 3 RBI) scalded her second long ball of the season, accounting for GCU's three runs in the second inning. Cassandra Varvaro (1-for-1,2 BB) ripped a single up the middle in the third to collect a pair of RBI of her own.

GAME TWO

After an early 1-0 lead for the visitors in the nightcap, the Lions pounced to take a 3-1 advantage after three frames. Dominican evened the score at three-all after a pair of runs in the fourth before dropping a five-spot in the fifth, thanks to an offering of lackluster defense from the Georgian Court gloves.

Now trailing 8-3, GCU clawed to within two in the bottom of the fifth frame after a three-run bazooka (7th of season) off the bat of Samantha Reilly provided the Lions a dose of hope. Georgian Court would have to settle for the split as Dominican's Jennifer Paride (So.-Stonington, Conn.) shut down the Lions over the final three frames (3 H, 0 R, 1 B, 4 K) to achieve her second save of the year.

Jenna Maska (Jr.-Warren, Mass.) went the first four innings for Dominican, allowing six runs (5 ER) on seven hits and three strikeouts, Taylor Baloga (2-8) suffered the loss after entering the contest with the score tied at 3-3 in the fourth (3.1 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 1 ER, 1 K).

Reilly carried the GCU offense with a 2-for-3 showing at the dish with a double and four RBI to go along with her team-best seventh homer of the season.

With a conference record of 8-10 (11-25 overall), the Lions currently sit in the eighth-and-final playoff spot. GCU owns the tie-breaker vs. Chestnut Hill College (8-10) after sweeping the Griffins in a twin-bill back on March 29 in Philadelphia.

Georgian Court next takes on the University of the Sciences this Thursday afternoon at 2:30 p.m.