CALDWELL, New Jersey- The American International College softball team took the field in Caldwell, New Jersey against the Cougars of Caldwell on Wednesday, April 19. The Yellow Jackets fell to the Cougars in both games, 3-2 and 10-2.
The Yellow Jackets wasted no time to get on the board, as they struck in the first inning. After a Yellow Jackets strikeout, Kristen Steele doubled to center field for the first runner of the game. Yami Lopez-Perez traded places with Steele to give the Yellow Jackets the 1-0 lead.

The Cougars changed the scoreboard in the bottom half of the fourth. Frye lead things off with a single to shortstop, the first Caldwell hit of the day. She would head back to the dugout after Rini hit into a fielder's choice. Monasseri followed with a single, then Testa knocked Rini home to tie the game at one.

Seven innings was not enough, as neither team found their way back on the board til the ninth. With the international tiebreaker rule going into effect, Jamie Mainez was placed on second base. Kayla Riley laid down a beautiful bunt down the third-base line as Mainez moved over to third. Jillian Bedard pushed Mainez across the plate to give the Yellow Jackets the 2-1 lead.

The one-run lead would not be enough as the Cougars scored two in the bottom of the ninth to give Caldwell the 3-2 win in the first game.

The Yellow Jackets did not let that get them down, as in the first inning of game two, they took the early lead. Steele led the game off with a walk. Sarah Baganz singled to right field as the Yellow Jackets had runners on first and second with Lopez-Perez dug into the box. She would then reach on a fielder's choice to give AIC runners on the corners. Lopez-Perez took off for second with Alexa DiLeo in the box, but was thrown out, but Steele ended up scoring on the play to make it 1-0.

The Cougars answered in the bottom of the first with five runs and six hits, including a two-run home run. They added to their lead in the bottom of the third with a single run.

AIC started to close the gap in the top of the fourth. Lopez-Perez hit a one-out single to the pitcher to get things going. Bedard doubled to left field, allowing Lopez-Perez to touch the plate and make it a 6-2 game.

Caldwell went on to score four runs in the bottom of the fourth, and take the game 10-2 in five innings.

The Yellow Jackets return home for a busy weekend, hosting the Setters of Pace on Saturday and Sunday in their final weekend at home. On Saturday, the Yellow Jackets will host their annual Strike Out Cancer game, and on Sunday, AIC will honor seniors Keymell Cartwright, Jillian Bedard, Kristen Steele, and Alyssa Camargo.