Donohue Locks Up Final Two Innings, Baseball Wins 9-7 over FDU-Florham

AUBURNDALE, Fla. (March 15, 2023) – The Western New England baseball team used an early rally to get the scoring going and did not look back as Troy Donohue locked down the final two innings for Western New England, securing their fourth win at the RussMatt Invitational on Wednesday morning, defeating the Farleigh Dickinson University – Florham Devils by a final score of 9-7.

Records:
•    Western New England: 5-1-1
•    FDU-Florham – 5-5

Pitching Records:
•    W: Demitri Boulas: 1-0
•    L: William Hoover: 0-1
•    SV: Troy Donohue: 2

How it Happened:
FDU would get on the board in the top of the first inning on a sacrifice fly to get the Devils a quick 1-0 lead. SP Sean Hogan would go the first two innings for WNE giving up just two hits and one run while walking one and striking out one. The Golden Bears would also grab their first run of the game in the first inning after the first three Golden Bears would reach base. Paul Villecco would reach via walk while CJ Willis and Cody Waterbury both would single to left field. Henry Schowerer would connect on a fly ball to left field, a sacrifice fly,  which scored Villecco to even the score at one.
 
The Golden Bears would grab three more runs in the bottom of the second on an RBI single from CJ Willis and a two RBI double to left field for Cody Waterbury as Western New England would open a three-run lead, standing at 4-1 after two innings of play. Quickly, the Devils would get a run back in the away half of the third inning when Tyler McCulloch would single to right field off Robert Zawacki to score another run, cutting Western New England's lead to two runs. The blue and gold would collect their biggest inning of the day in the fourth to break open their two-run lead to a six-run lead. With two outs in the inning, Jack Loftus would lift a triple into right field, fielding his second triple of the season, scoring both Cody Waterbury and John Bova on the play. WNE was not done there, as Aaron Cole added to the hit parade, also cracking a triple to right field, picking up his second triple of the season to score Schowerer and Loftus to extend the Golden Bears lead to 8-2 after four innings of play. 

FDU-Florham would not go away quietly, grabbing three runs of their own in the top of the fifth after two singles from the Devils would drop into left field to drop Western New England's six run lead to a three-run lead. The Golden Bears would get one run back in the bottom of the fifth, however, as Paul Villecco would reach on a single to right field and would eventually come all the way around the bases to score on two wild pitches and a balk by FDU's Jake Rivera to put the ninth run on the board for the Golden Bears. FDU would continue to respond to Western New England, grabbing another run in the sixth inning on a fielder's choice ground out that plated Chris Kubas for the Devils. The Western New England bats would so quietly through the seventh, just collecting two total hits through the final four innings of the contest. 

FDU would collect a run in the top of the eighth inning after a wild pitch was thrown to put the score at 9-7. WNE would be unable to capitalize in the bottom of the eighth to get insurance runs on the board as the game would come down to the top of the ninth to close it out. After the first two batter would reach in the inning, Western New England lefty Troy Donohue would get a fielder's choice ground ball out, followed by an infield fly out. With two outs in the inning and runs on first and second, FDU would grab a walk, filling the bases. Donohue would close out the game with a swinging strikeout on FDU's Aaron Santos, securing the victory for Western New England as the Golden Bears would take a 9-7 win, winning their fourth game of their Florida schedule. 

Around the Horn:
•    CJ Willis, Cody Waterbury, and Aaron Cole all collected two hits apiece in the win for WNE. Both Waterbury and Cole collected two RBIs each while Willis drove in one. 
•    WNE pitching struck out six Devils, led by Troy Donohue, who struck out three, earning his second save of the season. 
•    WNE improves to 5-1-1 on the season and 4-1 in Florida. 

Up Next on the Schedule:
•    The Golden Bears, who have to games remaining in the RussMatt Invitational, will play next on Thursday, March 16 at 9:30 AM to take on University of Minnesota – Morris.