Western New England Splits Doubleheader with Oswego State

Golden Bears take opener 16-14, before falling 15-1 in game two

LEXINGTON, S.C. (March 19, 2019) – The Western New England University baseball team split a doubleheader with Oswego State on Tuesday at Lexington County Stadium. The Golden Bears slugged their way to a 16-14 win over the Lakers in the opener, before falling 15-1 in game two.  

Western New England 16, Oswego State 14

Top Performers
Junior outfielder Jamie Schofield (Darien, Conn.) sparked Western New England's offensive outburst, going 4-for-6 at the plate out of the leadoff spot in the batting order with a home run, four RBI, and three runs scored.

Senior outfielder Ben LaCroix (Branford, Conn.) walked twice and hit a grand slam, his second homer in as many days, while senior shortstop Alex Loparco (Riverside, Conn.) went 3-for-5 with a double and three RBI.

Oswego State senior outfielder Mike Dellicarri (Congers, N.Y.) paced the Lakers with a 3-for-5 effort, recording a triple, a home run, three RBI and four runs scored.

Junior catcher Lukas Olsson (Bayport, N.Y.) went 2-for-5 with two doubles and three RBI, while seniors Matt Deblasio (New City, N.Y.) and Brandon Nicholson (Orchard Park, N.Y.) drove in two runs each.

Game Review
Oswego State struck first with three runs in the bottom of the first inning, as the first two batters reached base before Dellicarri drove them in with a three-run home run.

The Golden Bears responded with a five-run top of the second, however, which was highlighted by a two-run single by Schofield and RBI singles from junior Kevin Johnson (Waterford, Conn.) and sophomore Sebby Grignano (Meriden, Conn.).

After tying the game on an error that allowed two runs to score in the bottom of the second, the Lakers took a 7-5 lead in the fourth when Olsson came through with a two-out, two-run double to left field.

Oswego State's lead didn't last long, as the Golden Bears erupted for eight runs in the top of the fifth to pull ahead, 13-7. With one out and the bases loaded, LaCroix put Western New England in front for good with a grand slam. Later in the frame, a run scoring error, as well as RBI singles for Schofield, Loparco and senior Erik Lacaire (Worcester, Mass.) added to the lead.

The Lakers chipped away at their deficit with three runs in the bottom of the sixth, but Western New England used a solo shot by Schofield in the seventh and two more runs in the eighth to restore its six-run cushion (16-10).

In the bottom of the eighth, Oswego State again fought its way back into the game, scoring four runs on four hits to close the gap to two.

With the Golden Bears still leading 16-14 in the ninth, senior Sean Halligan (North Branford, Conn.) came on and retired the first two batters he faced, before issuing a walk and giving up a single. With the potential game-winning run at the plate, Halligan struck out Nicholson to end the high-scoring affair and secure his third save of the season.

Oswego State 15, Western New England 1 (5 innings)

Top Performers
Western New England was limited to six hits in game two, with Johnson recording the team's lone RBI.

For Oswego, sophomore Jonathan Luppens (Wading River, N.Y.) went 2-for-2 with a home run and four RBI, and Deblasio went 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored.

Game Review
The Lakers did damage in the top of the second with six runs on four hits and one error. Deblasio got it started with an RBI double, and Nicholson followed with an RBI single before eventually coming in to score on an error.

Sophomore Ryan Enos (Oriskany, N.Y.) and freshman Paul Tammaro (New City, N.Y.) added RBI hits later in the frame for Oswego.

Western New England got one run back in the bottom of the second, as LaCroix led off with a ground-rule double, before coming in to score three batters later on a sacrifice fly by Johnson.

The Lakers restored their six-run advantage (7-1) in the third, before adding five runs in the fourth and three in the fifth to cap the scoring in the contest.

Up Next
Western New England (4-3) is back in action tomorrow at noon against Trinity, while Oswego State (6-3) plays the Bantams tomorrow at 4 p.m. The Golden Bears wrap up their seven-game trip in South Carolina against the Lakers on Thursday morning at 10 a.m.