WILMINGTON, Del. (May 11, 2025) – Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference champion Wilmington University and CACC at-large representative Goldey-Beacom College will meet today in the championship game of the 2025 NCAA Division II East Region 2 Softball Championship. The game will take place at 11 a.m. at Goldey Beacom’s Jackson Athletic Complex.
The winner will face the winner of today’s East Region 1 final, which will pit No. 1 seed Pace University against No. 4 seed Bentley University, in a best-of-three super-regional series next weekend at the site of the highest remaining seed. The East Region champion moves on to the national finals May 22-28 in Chattanooga, Tenn.
No. 3 seed Goldey-Beacom (40-15) won two elimination games on Saturday to force today’s rematch with No. 2 seed Wilmington (34-17). Caitlyn Burch earned complete-game pitching victories in both, including tossing a no-hitter as the Lightning topped No. 7 seed Southern New Hampshire University, 5-0. Burch struck out five batters and worked around six walks. Ariana Mirenda had an RBI triple among three hits and Chasedy Johnson was 3 for 3 and scored twice.
The Lightning then rallied for three seventh inning runs to earn a walkoff victory over Wilmington. Having been shut out on three hits to that point, GBC put runners on first and second with one out before tying the game on an RBI single by McKenna Frank and a run-scoring double by Mirenda. Following a pitching change and a walk, an errant throw home on a grounder allowed the winning run to score. Burch yielded two unearned runs on five hits. Tristyn Stewart was 2 for 5 for the Wildcats.
Wilmington is seeking its fourth consecutive trip to the super regional. GBC, meanwhile, is participating in its first NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats and Lightning are meeting for the seventh time this season.
The Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its affiliation with NCAA Division II. Conference institutions compete for championships in 18 sports – eight for men, nine for women, and one co-ed. The CACC contains 12 members in Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Membership includes Bloomfield College of Montclair State University, the University of Bridgeport, Caldwell University, Chestnut Hill College, Dominican University New York, Felician University, Georgian Court University, Goldey-Beacom College, Holy Family University, Post University, Thomas Jefferson University, and Wilmington University.