Golden Bears Finish Spring Trip Strong With 3-0 Shutout Victory Over Wisconsin-Platteville

Wetmore strikes out eight over seven shutout frames, LaCroix homers for second straight day

AUBURNDALE, Fla. (March 18, 2017) – Sophomore right-hander Paul Wetmore (Hamden, Conn.) struck out eight batters and allowed just two hits over seven shutout innings as the Western New England University baseball team wrapped up its eight-game trip at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational with a 3-0 victory over the University of Wisconsin-Platteville this morning at the Lake Myrtle Complex.

Top Performers
• Wetmore, who faced just one batter over the minimum of 21 during his seven innings of work, improved to 2-0 this season and lowered his earned run average to 2.37.
• Sophomore outfielder Ben LaCroix (Branford, Conn.) led the Western New England offense, going 2-for-4 with a solo home run in the fourth inning that proved to be the difference in the contest.
• Sophomore Aaron Rios (Stratford, Conn.) also posted a 2-for-4 effort at the plate and drove in a pair of insurance runs with a single to center field in the bottom of the eighth inning.
• Freshman Matt Vigliotti (Verplanck, N.Y.) came on in relief to work the eighth and retired the side in order, before senior Jacques Boilard (Brimfield, Mass.) picked up his fourth save of the season with a scoreless ninth.

• Senior Mitch Marty (Monroe, Wis.) accounted for two of the Pioneers' three hits with singles in the fourth and ninth innings.
• Wisconsin-Platteville senior pitcher Nathan Fay (New Windsor, Ill.) allowed just one run during his six innings of work.

Game Review
• Western New England loaded the bases in the bottom of the second inning on singles by senior first baseman Daniel Morin (Salem, N.H.) and freshman Zac Nussbaum (Bridgewater, Mass.) and a hit batter, but the Golden Bears were unable to capitalize on the opportunity.
• Wetmore struck out six batters over the first three frames and did not surrender a hit until Marty led off the fourth with a single to right field.
• In the bottom of the fourth, LaCroix gave Western New England a 1-0 lead it would not relinquish with a solo home run over the right field fence, his second in as many days.
• Wetmore retired the side in order in the sixth and seventh innings, before Vigliotti came on to pitch a 1-2-3 eighth. The Golden Bears plated a pair insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth when Rios delivered a two-out, two-run single to center field.
• Boilard sealed the victory with his fourth straight scoreless appearance.  

Notes
• Western New England, which went 7-1 at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational, is 15-1 at the event over the last two seasons.
• Vigliotti has not given up a run over his first four collegiate appearances (6.0 IP).
• LaCroix, who hit three homers as a freshman last season, already has three through ten games this spring.

Up Next
Western New England (8-2) is scheduled to return to action on Tuesday at Brandeis, before opening its home slate against crosstown rival Springfield College on Wednesday. Wisconsin-Platteville (5-4) will be on the road at Simpson for a doubleheader on Wednesday.