No. 28 Golden Bears Defeat Eastern Connecticut 11-2 for Ninth Straight Win

Western New England's offense stays hot with 13 hits

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (April 12, 2018) – The Western New England University baseball team extended its winning streak to nine games with an 11-2, non-conference victory over Eastern Connecticut State University on Thursday afternoon at Trelease Park.   

Top Performers
• Junior outfielder Erik Lacaire (Worcester, Mass.) led the Golden Bears, going 4-for-5 at the plate with three runs scored and a pair of stolen bases.
• Senior third baseman Jared Rosenblatt (Avon, Conn.) went 2-for-3 with two walks and three RBI, while junior outfielder Ben LaCroix (Branford, Conn.) doubled and drove in four runs.
• Junior Joe Cassella (Wallingford, Conn.) was also a key offensive contributor, as he went 2-for-2 with a run, two walks and three RBI.
• Sophomore right-hander Conor Scully (Auburn, Mass.) earned the win in relief after striking out three batters and allowing just one hit over 3.1 innings of work.

• Eastern Connecticut junior outfielder Alexander White (West Hartford, Conn.) went 2-for-4 at the plate and scored both of the Warriors' runs.
• Senior D.J. Scavone (Auburn, Mass.) posted a 2-for-3 effort with a walk and one RBI.

Game Review
Eastern Connecticut loaded the bases in the first inning, but managed to score just one run as junior William Coleman (Northford, Conn.) worked a two-out walk before Western New England freshman pitcher Dalen Mochak (Westfield, Mass.) induced a fly out to escape the jam.   

After leaving the bases loaded in the bottom of the first, Western New England tied the contest with the help of an Eastern Connecticut error in the second inning.

The Golden Bears then pulled ahead with three runs on four hits in the third. Junior Alex Loparco (Riverside, Conn.), Lacaire and Cassella led off the frame with three consecutive singles to load the bases, and Rosenblatt walked to score a run. LaCroix came up next and recorded a sacrifice fly, before sophomore Zac Nussbaum (Bridgewater, Mass.) capped the scoring with an RBI single to center field.

Western New England broke the game open with four more runs in the fourth inning, which was highlighted by LaCroix's bases-clearing double to right field.

The Golden Bears tacked on two more runs in the sixth to make it 10-1, and both teams scored once in the eighth.

Notes
• Thursday's contest featured Eastern Connecticut head coach Matt LaBranche's return to Western New England. LaBranche coached the Golden Bears from 2000-2013, leading the team to nine conference championships, ten appearances in the NCAA Tournament and the 2011 New England regional title.
• Western New England has scored 10+ runs in six of its last eight games and ten times overall this season.
• Lacaire, who was named the CCC Player of the Week on Monday, is in the midst of a nine-game hitting streak.

Up Next
Both teams will be back in action on Saturday at noon, as Western New England (18-4) hosts No. 20 Endicott in a CCC showdown and Eastern Connecticut (12-9) travels to Plymouth State for a pair of LEC contests.