Lakewood, N.J. -Closing out its regular-season slate on Senior Day Sunday, #21 Georgian Court University split with visiting Dominican College, 8-4 and 2-7, in the Lions' final contests before next week's 2019 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Softball Championship Tournament.

GCU's game-one victory not only established a new program-best for victories in a season (42), but also clinched the first regular-season title for the Lions since the 2011 campaign.

The opening contest started inauspiciously for the home team as an Alexandria Ledgerwood (Jr.-Salem, Ore.) three-run homer highlighted a four-run first frame for the Chargers. Georgian Court stormed back with three runs of their own in the bottom half of the initial inning, thanks to a Caitlin Hughes steal of home, an Eryka Springer RBI single and a Paige Eckert bases-clearing triple.

Four more tallies in the second completed the GCU comeback, highlighted by a two-run single from Samantha Salomon and a Samantha Reilly run-scoring double down the left-field line.

Lions' ace, Jessica O'Neil, went the distance in the circle to earn the victory (7.0 IP. 4 H, 4 R, 0 ER, BB, 2 K). The senior southpaw concludes the regular-season calendar with a sensational 16-1 ledger. Dominican starter, Shelby Smith (So.-Valley Center, Calif.), falls to 9-5 with the loss (3.2 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 6 ER, BB).

Single runs in the second and fourth innings provided the Chargers a 2-0 lead in the nightcap. However, the crushing blow came in the top of the fifth when Samantha Fitzgerald (Jr.-Fishkill, N.Y.) launched a gut-wrenching, two-out grand slam, just one batter after a Lions' fielding blunder extended the frame.

Georgian Court pounded out 10 hits in the setback, but only one produced any digits as Reilly clobbered her CACC-leading 15th dinger over the scoreboard in right-center to account for the home team's two tallies. The senior now sits just one career long ball short of 50 with the royal and gold.

The blast allowed GCU to avoid being shut out for only the second time during this record-breaking campaign (0-3 vs. #1 Saint Anselm, 3/5/19).

Madeline Uschock (Fr.-Greensburg, Pa.) improved to 11-10 with the complete-game triumph (7.0 IP, 10 H, 2 R, 2 ER, BB, 4 K). Mikayla Gilgert (16-5) permitted a season-high 11 hits in the setback (4.1 IP, 4 R, 2 ER, BB, 3 K).

GCU (42-7, 23-2, 23-3) will next take the diamond this Thursday morning (10:00 a.m.) as the top-seed in the upcoming tournament. The Lions host the CACC Championship for the eleventh-straight year. CLICK HERE for complete details.