Golden Bears Rally Past Fitchburg State, 5-4 & Shut Out RIT, 3-0

Uliase delivers walk-off hit against Falcons, before recording save in win over Tigers

CLERMONT, Fla. (March 12, 2017) – The Western New England University softball team picked up a pair of victories over Fitchburg State University and the Rochester Institute of Technology earlier today at Hancock Park. The Golden Bears came from behind to earn a 5-4, walk-off win over Fitchburg State, before shutting out RIT, 3-0 in the second game of the day.

Western New England 5, Fitchburg State 4

Top Performers
• Freshman Paige Uliase (Meriden, Conn.) went 2-for-4 with two RBI and delivered the game-winning hit in the bottom of the seventh inning.
• Senior Corianna DeLisi (Tuxedo, N.Y.), junior Lindsay Williams (Coventry, Conn.) and freshman Carlie Moss (Delmar, N.Y.) recorded two hits each, while Williams, senior Gabby Lavinio (Dalton, Mass.) and junior Jenn Luba (Plymouth, Conn.) drove in one run apiece.

• Sophomore infielder Hayley McCarthy (Lawrence, Mass.) led the Falcons, going 2-for-3 with two runs scored, while classmate Damari Grossi (Medford, Mass.) reached base three times with two singles and a walk.

Game Review
• Sophomore outfielder Michelle LeBlanc (Ashburnham, Mass.) staked Fitchburg State to a 1-0 lead in the top of the second with an RBI double to right center field, and the Falcons added two more runs in the fourth to claim a 3-0 advantage.
• Western New England broke through with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth, as Williams recorded an RBI single to right field and Lavinio followed with a sacrifice fly.
• Grossi led off the seventh with a single and eventually stole home to extend Fitchburg State's lead to 4-2, but the Golden Bears put together a three-run rally in the bottom of the inning to walk off with the win.
• After singles by DeLisi, Williams and freshman Aimee Kistner (Taunton, Mass.) loaded the bases with one out, Luba singled to center field, bringing a run home. Two batters later, Uliase came up with two outs and the bases still loaded, and came through with a walk-off, two-run single to left center.

Notes
• Western New England's game one win marked its second straight walk-off triumph.
• Kistner got the start in the circle and struck out four batters over 6.2 innings while allowing four runs on eight hits.

Western New England 3, RIT 0

Top Performers
• Senior Katie Wood (Westport, Mass.) provided the Golden Bears with all of the offense they would need with her two-run home run in the third inning, while junior Emily Cramer (Stoughton, Mass.) and Uliase combined to shut out the Tigers with a pair of strong pitching performances. Cramer started the contest in the circle and allowed five hits over five scoreless frames, before giving way to Uliase, who picked up her first career save with two shutout innings of relief.

• Junior Alexandria Lunderman (Manlius, N.Y.) led RIT at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a pair of singles.  

Game Review
• After stranding two runners in scoring position in the top of the second, Wood gave the Golden Bears a 2-0 lead with her first homer of the season in the third.  
• Western New England added another run in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by DeLisi, while Cramer and Uliase shut down the Tigers the rest of the way.

Notes
• Uliase has struck out a team-high eight batters through her first two collegiate appearances.
• With their two victories today, the Golden Bears have already matched their win total from last season's Florida trip (3-7).

Up Next
Western New England (3-1) will be back in action with two more games tomorrow against Oswego State (8 a.m.) and Norwich (1 p.m.) at the Sleepy Hollow Complex in Leesburg, Fla.