Golden Bears Rally Past Illinois Wesleyan with Five-Run Sixth Inning, 6-4

Rosenblatt leads offense with 4-for-5 effort and three RBI, bullpen records five shutout frames

LAKELAND, Fla. (March 10, 2017) – The Western New England University baseball team used a five-run sixth inning to overcome an early deficit and earn a 6-4 victory over Illinois Wesleyan University this afternoon in its RussMatt Central Florida Invitational opener at Henley Field.

Top Performers
• Junior infielder Jared Rosenblatt (Avon, Conn.) led the Golden Bears with a 4-for-5 effort at the plate, including a key two-out single in the sixth that drove in the game-tying and go-ahead runs.
• Senior first baseman Daniel Morin (Salem, N.H.) reached base four times with a single, a double and two walks while also recording one RBI.
• The Western New England bullpen shut down Illinois Wesleyan over the final five frames, surrendering just two hits and no runs to seal the victory. Freshman right-hander Matt Vigliotti (Verplanck, N.Y.) earned the win after tossing a pair of scoreless frames in his first collegiate appearance, while senior Andrew Mulvey (Bristol, R.I.) struck out three batters over his 1.2 innings of work and classmate Jacques Boilard (Brimfield, Mass.) got the final three outs to pick up his first save of the season.

• Freshman Nick Figus (Frankfort, Ill.), sophomore John Bosco (Carol Stream, Ill.) and senior Jarrod Juskiewicz (Palatine, Ill.) recorded two hits apiece out of the top three spots in Illinois Wesleyan's batting order.

Game Review
• The Titans got to Western New England senior starting pitcher Matt Thomas (Plainville, Conn.) for three runs on four hits in the bottom of the first. Figus led off with a triple, before coming in to score on Bosco's single to center field. Sophomore Jacob Houghton (Davenport, Iowa) came up two batters later and belted an RBI double, while sophomore Ben Manski (Green Oaks, Ill.) drove in Illinois Wesleyan's third run of the frame with an RBI groundout. The Titans extended their lead to 4-0 in the fourth on junior Jake Stewart's (St. Joseph, Ill.) sacrifice fly.
• Western New England, which left the bases loaded in the top of the fourth, finally broke through in the fifth when Rosenblatt drove in Morin with a two-out single to center field.
• The Golden Bears then erupted for five runs on six hits in the sixth to claim a 6-4 advantage that would stand as the final margin. Freshman Jamie Schofield (Darien, Conn.) got it started with a double to left field, before advancing to third on a wild pitch and scoring on classmate Zac Nussbaum's (Bridgewater, Mass.) pinch-hit, RBI single to right center. Sophomore outfielder Erik Lacaire (Worcester, Mass.) cut Western New England's deficit to one later in the frame with a single through the right side of the infield, and three batters later Rosenblatt gave the Golden Bears a 5-4 edge with his clutch single to right center, scoring sophomores Alex Loparco (Riverside, Conn.) and Ben LaCroix (Branford, Conn.). Sophomore Aaron Rios (Stratford, Conn.) capped the big inning with a single to center field, plating Morin for the final run of the contest.
• Mulvey came on in a key spot with two runners on base and one out in the bottom of the seventh, working out of the jam with a fly out and strikeout. The senior kept Illinois Wesleyan off the board in the eighth, and Boilard worked around a leadoff double to close the door on the Titans in the ninth.

Notes
• Western New England outhit Illinois Wesleyan 15-11 with four Golden Bears posting multi-hit efforts.
• Loparco went 2-for-5 with a walk and two runs scored out of the leadoff spot.
• Illinois Wesleyan has made 12 all-time appearances in the NCAA Tournament, winning the national title in 2010.

Up Next
Western New England (2-1) will be right back in action tomorrow at 4 p.m. against regional foe Framingham State at Lake Myrtle Park in Auburndale, Fla.