Western New England Earns Split at Westfield State

Golden Bears defeat Owls 6-2 in opener before falling 1-0 in nightcap

WESTFIELD, Mass. (April 12, 2018) – The Western New England University softball team split a pair of contests with Westfield State University on Thursday afternoon in non-conference action at Alumni Field. The Golden Bears won the opener, 6-2, before falling to the Owls 11-0 in the nightcap. 

Western New England 6, Westfield State 2

Top Performers
• A day after recording four hits during Western New England's doubleheader split with Keene State, freshman Allie Buzzeo (Stamford, Conn.) stayed hot at the plate, going 4-for-4 with a double and two runs.
• Senior Jenn Luba (Plymouth, Conn.) went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, three RBI and one run, while sophomore Paige Uliase (Meriden, Conn.) and freshman Madison Murabito (Liverpool, N.Y.) recorded two hits and one RBI each.
• Uliase also got the start in the circle and went the distance, striking out six batters and allowing two runs on seven hits to improve to 6-5 this season.

• Westfield State was led by senior Michaela LeBlanc (Marblehead, Mass.), who went 2-for-3 with a double and one RBI.
• Juniors Caitlin Hughes (Hanson, Mass.) and Karly Mastello (Russell, Mass.) both posted 2-for-3 efforts and scored one run each.

Game Review
Sophomore Carlie Moss (Delmar, N.Y.) staked the Golden Bears to a 1-0 lead with a two-out RBI single to right field in the top of the second inning.

Westfield State answered with two runs in the bottom half of the inning, however, as senior Angelica Banning (East Granby, Conn.) recorded an RBI single and LeBlanc followed with an RBI double.

The Owls maintained their one-run edge until the fifth, when Western New England pulled ahead for good with three runs. After the first batter in the inning was retired, Buzzeo singled to left field. Sophomore Tori Fisher (Poestenkill, N.Y.) came up next and delivered another single to left, before Luba and Uliase recorded consecutive RBI singles to put the Golden Bears in front 3-2. Murabito capped the big frame with an RBI double to left, extending Western New England's advantage to 4-2. 

Luba gave Western New England some insurance with a two-run double to left field the following inning as the Golden Bears extended the final margin to four.

Westfield State 11, Western New England 0 (5 Innings)

Top Performers
• Fisher recorded Western New England's lone hit in the game two setback with her fourth inning single.

• Sophomore Kara Fluet (Worcester, Mass.) helped fuel Westfield State's offensive surge, going 3-for-3 with two runs scored.
• Mastello went 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs, while Banning also drove in two runs for the Owls.
• Sophomore pitcher Emily Woodworth (Marlborough, Mass.) was dominant in the circle, allowing just one hit over five shutout innings.

Game Review
Westfield State put five runs on the board in the first inning and never looked back. The first three Owls that came to the plate reached base, before a Western New England error allowed two runs to score. Mastello and Banning added RBI singles and freshman Jackie Reynolds (Middleborough, Mass.) capped the five-run frame with a sacrifice fly. 

The Owls extended their advantage with three runs in the third, as Mastello and senior Kayla Soucie (North Easton, Mass.) both hit RBI doubles and junior Maddie Keigwin (Sutton, Mass.) produced an RBI single.

Westfield State continued to roll offensively with three more runs in the fourth inning, and the contest ended after the Golden Bears were unable to score in the fifth. 

Up Next
Western New England (11-11) travels to the University of New England tomorrow afternoon for a doubleheader that was originally scheduled to be played on Sunday. First pitch between the Golden Bears and Nor'easters is slated for 3 p.m. Westfield State (6-12) continues its ten-game homestand against Salem State on Saturday.