Golden Bears Win Sixth Straight Game in Double Header Action over Keene State

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (March 31, 2022) –The Western New England Softball team took on the Keene State University Owls in a double feature that gave then their sixth straight win beating the Owls 5-4 in the first of the set and 5-0 in the second, giving the Owls their seventh straight lose.

Records:

• Western New England: 9-6
• Keene State University: 8-8

Game 1: Western New England 5, Keene State 4

The Ballgame went through the first inning with only one hit recorded. In the top of the second, Keene State's Mia Ferry hit a homerun on the first pitch of the inning, and teammate Kate Fisher also hit a homerun for two RBIs for Keene to take a 3-0 lead. The owls completed another run in the top of the third before the Golden Bears added any tallies on the scoreboard. In the bottom of the fourth, WNE's Dina DiBlasio hit a homerun of her own, but it was proceeded by three straight outs to close out the inning with the Golden Bears still down 4-1. The Owls were held to 0 hits and runs in the top of the fifth. In the bottom, the Golden Bears worked their way back into the game.

Alex Ferriouolo first at bat in the bottom of the fifth hit a double to left field. Paige Baca followed up with a single to centerfield, and then she stole second on the following play. Taylor Keegan and Kaleigh Blades both recorded RBIs before the final out to bring the score to 4-3 entering the sixth with the Owls still in the lead. Keene was held to just one hit in the top of the sixth and the Golden Bears tied up the game in the bottom when Ferriouolo collected her first RBI on the day. In the final inning, with the game tied at 4-4, The Owls went for 3 hits and no runs in the top, and the Golden Bears closed out the game with the bases loaded, and a walk off by Cori Rizzo for a final score of 5-4 and a WNE win.

Inside The Diamond:

• Western New England's Dina DiBlasio went 2-4 at bat and recorded a homerun in the first game.
• Taylor Keegan, Kaleigh Blades, Cori Rizzo, and Alex Ferriouolo each recorded an RBI. Blades and Ferriouolo also completed a run a piece.
• Relief Pitcher Ava Blanchard recorded the win for game 1. She pitched in five innings, faced 22 batters, struck out four of them, allowed five hits and one run.
• Starting Pitcher Emilia Garcia pitched in one inning, faced seven batters, allowed two homeruns in three hits, and had one strikeout.
• Western New England scored five runs in seven hits, giving up four runs in eight hits.  

Game 2: Western New England 5, Keene State 0

The Golden Bears got after it early and went for three runs in the bottom of the first inning. First at bat for WNE was Taylor Keegan who scored on an error by the pitcher, then Kaley Carrano and Cori Rizzo recorded RBIs for the Golden Bears and a 3-0 start. Keene St. went for nine straight outs and had little to no action for the remainder of the ballgame. In the bottom of the third inning, the Golden Bears added another run to their day after Alex Ferriouolo stole third, Rizzo collected another RBI on a single to right field that took Ferriouolo to home plate. WNE had the game 4-0. The Owls got their first hit in the second game, in the top of the fourth, but picked up a quick set of outs that sent them into the bottom of the inning. The Golden Bears earned their last run in the bottom of the fifth with bases loaded, where Madison Mason was walked and Dina DiBlasio collected the run. The Owls compiled three more hits on the game but did not get on the scoreboard. The Golden Bears win the second match up 5-0.

Around The Diamond:

• Western New England's Alex Ferriouolo was 3-3 and earned one run, and Cori Rizzo went 2-3 and collected two RBIs.
• Western New England scored five runs in 10 hits on the game.
• Starting Pitcher Megan Beebe collected the win, pitching in all seven innings. She faced 24 batters and had 10 strikeouts, she only allowed four hits and no runs.

Up Next:

The Golden Bears return to their home field for their first conference game of the season. They will take on Salve Regina Saturday, April 2, at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.

The Owls will be traveling to New England College for their next pair of games on Sunday, April 3, for a noon and 2 p.m. start time.