Golden Bears Pull Away Late in 13-6 Win Over Framingham State

Loparco leads offense with five hits and four RBI, Hamel strikes out nine over five innings

AUBURNDALE, Fla. (March 11, 2017) – The Western New England University baseball team pulled away from Framingham State University with eight runs over the final four innings on its way to a 13-6 victory this afternoon in non-conference at the Lake Myrtle Park Complex.

Top Performers
• Sophomore second baseman Alex Loparco (Riverside, Conn.) fueled the Western New England offense, going 5-for-6 with a double, four RBI and one run scored out of the leadoff spot.
• Senior first baseman Daniel Morin (Salem, N.H.) went 2-for-6 with a double, a triple and two RBI.
• Sophomore left-hander Bob Hamel (Southwick, Mass.) picked up his first win of the season, striking out a career-high nine batters while surrendering just two hits and no earned runs over five innings of work.  

• Junior Kyle Pileski (Bristol, Conn.) was the lone Ram to post a multi-hit effort, as he went 2-for-5 with one RBI. Senior Ryan Wardwell (Hudson, Mass.) and sophomore Jordan Pallazola (Rockport, Mass.) also drove in one run each for Framingham State.

Game Review
• Western New England opened the scoring in the second with two runs on junior catcher Steve Rivela's (Hudson, Mass.) first career home run, a solo shot to left field, and an RBI single by Loparco.
• Framingham State capitalized on two Western New England errors in the third, pulling ahead with three runs. Pileski was responsible for the Rams' only hit of the inning with a two-out, RBI single up the middle that snapped the 2-2 tie.
• Western New England regained the lead in the fifth, however, as sophomore center fielder Erik Lacaire (Worcester, Mass.) drove in two runs with a single to center field and Morin followed with a double down the left field line, plating Lacaire.
• Another Golden Bear error in the bottom half of the inning allowed Framingham State to tie the score for the final time at 5-5.
• Western New England took the lead for good in the top of the sixth, as sophomore Aaron Rios (Stratford, Conn.) led off with a single and stole second base before eventually coming around to score on Loparco's two-out single to left field.
• The Golden Bears extended their lead to 9-5 with three runs in the seventh on an RBI triple by Morin, an RBI single by junior infielder Jared Rosenblatt (Avon, Conn.), and a run-scoring groundout by Rivela.
• Pallazola drove in Framingham State's final run of the contest in the seventh with an RBI single through the left side of the infield.
• Western New England tacked on one run in the eighth and three in the ninth to extend the final margin to 13-6.

Notes
• Loparco's five hits represent a new career-high for the sophomore, while his four RBI match his career-best performance, set last April in a 16-3 win over Wentworth.  
• The Golden Bears have compiled 10+ hits in consecutive games and three out of their first four contests this season.
• The Western New England bullpen turned in another strong performance, allowing just one run over the final four innings.

Up Next
The Golden Bears (3-1) will look to keep rolling tomorrow morning, as Western New England is set to take on McDaniel (Md.) College at Lake Bonny Park in Lakeland, Fla. First pitch is scheduled for 10 a.m.