BROOKHAVEN, N.Y. - - The Wilmington University softball team closed out the 2014 regular season with a pair of losses on the road at Dowling, 5-8 and 6-8, on Monday afternoon at Golden Lions Field.
The losses drop the Wildcats season total to 24-24 as they prepare for the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference starting on Thursday. Dowling needed a three-run walk-off home run in game two to secure the sweep to finish its regular season at 24-23 overall.
The Wildcats fell behind early in game one, needing to climb out of a 5-0 hole after the first two innings of play.
The offense got on track in the top of the fourth as Ashley Bennett smacked a two-run shot to left for her team leading sixth home run of the season.
But the Golden Lions responded with three runs in the bottom of the fourth to regain the momentum in the game, taking an 8-2 lead.
A Cambria Ziemba triple scored two runs in the top of the fifth while a Colby Wyatt sacrifice fly cut the Wildcat deficit to 8-5 in the fifth, making it game once more.
Dowling starter Erika Nogan shut the Wildcats down in the top of the sixth, however, before Alisa Fjelstad picked up the save with a scoreless seventh inning to close out game one.
The Wildcats were the ones to jump out to an early lead in game two, getting an RBI single from Wyatt as Ziemba scored from second after reaching on an error.
Wyatt was at it again in the third inning, ash she singled down the left field line, scoring both Shannon McMahon and Ziemba for a 3-0 lead.
The lead grew to 5-0 in the top of the fourth inning as the Wildcats continued to put runs on the board. With runners on second and third, Ziemba hit a sacrifice fly to center field for the inning's first run before Wyatt added an RBI double down the left field line to score Meghan Logullo.
But the Golden Lions stole the momentum in the home half of the fourth, as a two-run triple put Dowling on the board.
The home team continued to come back in the bottom of the fifth as a two-run homer by Crystal Tarango cut the Wildcats' lead to 5-4 with two innings to play.
Another homer in the sixth tied the game for the Golden Lions before the Wildcats took the lead once more with a two-out run in the top of the seventh.
With pinch runner Kelsey Doherty on third, the Dowling catcher threw the ball away on a pick off attempt, allowing the go-ahead run to come in and score for the Wildcats.
Back-to-back walks put the first two runners on base for the Golden Lions in the bottom of the seventh. With Wyatt back in the circle for the Wildcats, the freshman picked up a strikeout in an attempt to work out of the jam, but Tarango hit her second homer of the game to give the Golden Lions an 8-6 victory.
Wyatt led the Wildcats with three hits and four RBI in game two alone while Logullo batted 3-for-6 with three runs scored in the doubleheader.
The Wildcats are back in action with the start of the CACC Tournament, as they earned the No. 5 seed for the upcoming, double elimination tournament on Thursday. They will play No. 4 seed Holy Family in the first game with the time to be determined. The CACC Tournament will be played in Lakewood, N.J., hosted by Georgian Court.