LAKEWOOD, N.J. – The final USciences softball team made history, becoming the first to win multiple Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Tournament games after holding on to defeat sixth-seeded Dominican 5-4 on Friday morning at Georgian Court.
With just four team remaining the eight-team double-elimination tournament, the Devils' season would then come to an end following a defeat to regionally-ranked three seed Caldwell.
University of the Sciences ends its season with 17 victories, the second most in the program's Division II history.
The Devils' 12 CACC victories and fifth place finish in the regular season standings were also second in program history.
Dominican
Starter Megan Master was on her way to a complete game shutout after retiring the first two batters of the seventh inning, only to have five consecutive Chargers reach base to make the score 5-2.
Olivia Quercia entered and despite a two-RBI single cutting the deficit to 5-4, the freshman composed herself to get the final out of the historic victory.
Having already set the program's Division II single-season record, her fourth save of the season is now tied atop the CACC.
Master's eighth win of the season is tied for fifth in the program's Division II history, while the senior ends her career tied for seventh all-time with 17 for her career.
She stranded a runner on base in each of Dominican's first five at-bats, highlighted by Ashley Steiner making a terrific play to end the second.
University of the Sciences stranded a total of eight runners on base through its first four at-bats before finally breaking out with four consecutive hits to begin the fifth.
Gabrielle Simms led off the frame with a double and after a Taylor Hamm single, Gabriella Polera broke the deadlock with a two-RBI triple to deep left center for the game-winner.
Nina Cencetti followed with a single for a 3-0 advantage.
Polera was also involved in a two-run sixth that turned out to be needed insurance, driving in the game-winning runs on a two-out, two-RBI double to tie a career-high with four RBI for the second time in three CACC Tournament games.
Her 43 RBI this season are two shy of the program's Division II record, while also ranking third in the CACC.
Abbigail Markee had begun the inning with a single, and Hamm later extended the frame with a two-out base on balls.
Markee, Hamm and Polera were three of the five Devils to finish with multiple base-knocks, with Steiner and Miranda Rodriguez also doing so.
Markee joined Simms in finishing with a Division II single-season program record 60 hits on the seasons, as Simms' fifth-inning double tied the record of 13, one ahead of Polera.
Markee's 34 runs is one shy of the program's Division II record, while Simms' 33 are third and Hamm's 29 are seventh.
Caldwell
An error extended the first inning for Caldwell (37-14), who would go on to score seven unearned runs in an eight-run frame of an eventual 10-0 final.
Steiner and Polera both collected their third hits of the day, while Gianna Abruzese allowed just one run over her two relief innings.
Markee notably walked, her 17th of the year to tie Simms for third in the program's Division II history.
