Golden Bears Suffer CCC Sweep at Eastern Nazarene

Western New England falls by scores of 3-0 and 4-3

QUINCY, Mass. (April 18, 2018) – The Western New England University softball team was swept by Eastern Nazarene College in a Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) doubleheader on Wednesday evening at Mitchell/McCoy Field. The Golden Bears were blanked 3-0 in the opener, before falling 4-3 in eight innings in game two.   

Eastern Nazarene 3, Western New England 0

Top Performers
• Senior Jenn Luba (Plymouth, Conn.) reached base twice with a walk and a single, while sophomore Aimee Kistner (Taunton, Mass.) and freshman Cassidy Howe (North Andover, Mass.) also recorded one hit each for the Golden Bears.
• Sophomore Paige Uliase (Meriden, Conn.) started in the circle and struck out nine batters over six innings.

• Eastern Nazarene freshman Dominique Santos (Lancaster, Calif.) and junior Lauren Clements (Garrison, Texas) both went 2-for-3 at the plate, while junior Lauren Weidler (Lansdale, Pa.) and sophomore Kori Bow (Shaftsbury, Vt.) drove in one run each.
• Sophomore pitcher Elisabeth Schaffer (Benton, Pa.) improved to 12-4 after striking out eight batters and allowing just three hits over seven shutout innings.

Game Review
After three scoreless frames, the Lions put three runs on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Santos got it started with a double to left center, before advancing to third on a sacrifice bunt. Weidler came up next and drove in Santos with a single up the middle, and Clements followed with a double, which resulted in another run crossing the plate on a Western New England error. Bow capped the three-run frame with an RBI single to left field. 

The Golden Bears went down in order in the fifth and sixth innings, before stranding two runners on base in the seventh.

Eastern Nazarene 4, Western New England 3 (8 Innings)

Top Performers
• Senior Lindsay Williams (Coventry, Conn.) led the Golden Bears in game two with a double and two RBI, while Kistner singled and drove in a run.
• Kistner also pitched for Western New England and struck out nine batters while surrendering two earned runs over seven innings.

• Clements fueled the Eastern Nazarene offense, going 3-for-3 with three RBI, and Weidler came through with the game-winning walkoff single in the bottom of the eighth.

Game Review
Western New England struck first with Kistner's RBI single up the middle in the top of the fourth inning, but the Lions answered in the bottom half of the frame as Clements drove in two runs with a single to center field. 

The Golden Bears regained the lead (3-2) in the top of the sixth with a two-out rally. After the first two batters were retired, Howe worked a walk and sophomore Mallory Donelan (Mineola, N.Y.) followed with a double to left center. Williams came up next and ripped a double down the left field line, allowing both runners to score.

Western New England's lead didn't last long, however, as Clements recorded a two-out, RBI double in the bottom half of the inning to tie the contest.

The Lions stranded a runner on third base in the seventh, before walking off in the eighth on Weidler's game-winning single.

Up Next
Western New England (17-13, 10-4 CCC) returns home to host Endicott on Saturday, while Eastern Nazarene (22-8, 11-3 CCC) travels to the University of New England on Friday.