Little Ferry, N.J. - Georgian Court University softball concluded the 2022 regular season in style Saturday as the Lions dismantled Bloomfield College in a pair of five-inning efforts, 19-1 and 11-0, while mashing an astounding 35 total hits over the two-game sweep.
With a 21-3 record vs. Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference foes, the Lions clinch their third-consecutive CACC regular-season crown, assuring the royal-and-gold the #1 seed in next week's championship tournament.
In the opener, the GCU offense exploded for an almost-gaudy 23 hits in just five frames in its 19-1 trouncing of Bloomfield. The Lions scored in all but the fourth frame and plated 10 tallies during their fifth-inning at-bat.
Adriana Mungo, with not one, not two, but THREE triples, finished the game 4-for-5 overall with five RBI.
Alyssa Rue added a 4-for-4 (2 RBI) with a trio of two-baggers.
Taylor Barraza (3-for-4, 2B) and
Jayda Jones (3-for-4, 3 R, 3 RBI, 2 2B) added three-hit efforts while
Kaitlyn Stufft (2-for-4, 3B) connected for a three-run homer during the marathon fifth inning.
Mikayla Gilgert strolled through four shutout frames (2 H, 6 K) to secure the victory in the circle for the Lions (35-13).
It would be more of the same in the nightcap, as the combination of 12 GCU knocks and four Bloomfield blunders resulted in an 11-0 blanking of the Bears (13-28). Mungo (2-for-4, 2 RBI),
Alyssa Herrera (3-for-4, 2 RBI), and
Kiara Meikle (2-for-3, 2 R) all enjoyed multi-hit contributions.
Stufft smashed a two-run long ball in the third, increasing her CACC lead to 18 on the year. The two RBI surpasses the program's NCAA Division II-era (since 2004) record of 65, originally established by Samantha Reilly during her All-American season of 2018. The Temecula, Calif. native sits just seven short of the team's all-time total of 73 (Jodi Solana, 1995).
Gilgert, once again, provided four two-hit innings (4 K) to earn her second win of the day. The senior is now in line to win the pitching triple crown with a CACC-best 23 wins, 157 strikeouts, and a 1.94 earned-run average.
The 2022 CACC Softball Championship Tournament will commence at 10:00 a.m. this Thursday at Georgian Court.
