LAKEWOOD, N.J. –Felician University was eliminated from the 2017 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Softball Championship tournament with losses to No. 3 seed Dominican (N.Y.) College in first-round play and to No. 7 seed Philadelphia University in early losers' bracket action on Thursday afternoon on the campus of tournament host Georgian Court University. Both Felician setbacks came by 3-2 scores.

The Golden Falcons conclude their season with a won-lost record of 22-27. Their 22 victories are the most for the program since Felician posted a 26-25 record in 2006.

In their first-round meeting, both No. 6 seed Felician and Dominican (28-20) picked up first-inning runs. Golden Falcon junior Jeannette Roldan (Hesperia, Calif.) began the game with a single, was sacrificed to second base, and scored on a long fly ball single by sophomore Mia Montoya (Cypress, Calif.). The Chargers answered with a solo home run by leadoff batter Elontay Collins (San Diego, Calif.).

Felician took advantage of a Charger miscue to move back on top in the third. With runners on first and second and no one out, an attempted pickoff throw bounded into center field and was then mishandled, allowing pinch-runner Bella Davis (Chula Vista, Calif.) to score from second base. Dominican was able to strand Roldan at third and maintain a one-run deficit.

Golden Falcon starting pitcher Ashley Owens (Lockport, N.Y.) gave up only one more hit in four innings after Collins' homer before giving way to Erin Powers (Aberdeen, N.J.). Powers tossed a perfect fifth, and had a runner on first base with two outs in the sixth before Samantha Fitzgerald (Fishkill, N.Y.) singled up the middle, sending Collins to third base. Felician looked as if it would escape the inning on Jillian Regan's (Staten Island, N.Y.) full count grounder, but Fitzgerald beat the play at second base, allowing Collins to score the tying run.

Felician put runners on first and second with one out in the seventh but could not score. In the home half, Dominican loaded the bases with one out on a walk, hit batsman, sacrifice, and walk. Sophomore catcher Emily Luzetsky (Bel Air, Md.) concluded a 12-pitch at-bat with an infield grounder. The Golden Falcons attempted the force at home plate, but could not make the connection, and pinch-runner Mary Curatolo (Staten Island, N.Y.) scored to end the game.

Dominican's Jennifer Paride (9-5) pitched 4 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, striking out six batters without a walk. Roldan was 3 for 4 for Felician.

Later on Thursday, Naomi Stas (Tuckerton, N.J.) (11-8) pitched a nine-inning six-hitter and went 3 for 5 to lead Philadelphia (22-27) to a 3-2 victory over the Golden Falcons. Montoya hit a first-inning home run for Felician, the home team via being the higher seed, and the 1-0 score held until Ram senior Gianna Bliss (Phoenixville, Pa.) reached Golden Falcon reliever Powers (8-7) for an RBI single in the sixth. Powers worked out of a second-and-third, one-out jam later in the frame to keep the score even.

The game remained tied into extra innings. In the ninth, Stas produced a one-out RBI triple and scored on Megan Letos' (Bristow, Va.) sacrifice fly. Back in the pitching circle for the home half, Stas induced two groundouts after a leadoff single. Davis walked and Roldan followed with an RBI single, but Stas ended the game and Felician's season with her ninth strikeout.

The Rams out-hit Felician, 10-6. Philadelphia freshman Jovanna Alfonsi was 2 for 5. Montoya and Roldan had two hits each for the Golden Falcons.