Bova Hits for Cycle, Hobart Shines in Comeback Victory over Westfield State

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (March 27, 2023) – Western New England sophomore John Bova collected hits in all four plate appearances, a single, double, triple and game tying home run in the 11^th inning to carry the Golden Bears to a comeback victory in 11 innings over the visiting Owls of Westfield State University on Monday afternoon from Trelease Park.

Records:

• Western New England: 9-4-1
• Westfield State University: 4-7

Pitching Records:

• W: Sean Hogan: 1-0
• L: Joe Espinola: 0-1

How it Happened:
The Golden Bears started the scoring in the second inning when Jack Loftus would leave Western New England off with a triple, which would then be followed by a sacrifice fly by Jake Gerraughty, giving the Golden Bears an early 1-0 lead. Pitching would be the name of the game moving forward, as both teams would see little opportunity to score. WNE's John Bova would score the second run of the game in the bottom of the third inning after the sophomore cracked a triple off the left field chained wall and was quickly driven in by Paul Villecco, who matched Bova's triple, giving Western New England a 2-0 lead.

Western New England starting pitcher Jacob Hobart would cruise through the first six innings of the contes, striking out eight Owls in the process. The next run wouldn't be scored until the bottom of the seventh after Paul Villecco struck another baseball to the outfield, this time, recording a double to right field to score Kohtaro Shimada to give WNE a 3-0 lead. Westfield State would threaten and eventually chase Hobart out of the game with two outs in the top of the eighth with the bases loaded. Westfield's Dan Burnett would make the Golden Bears pay, smashing a home run over the right field fence, giving Westfield State their first runs of the game and their first lead of the game, which stood at 4-3. The Golden Bears would take exception to the Owls comeback, quickly scoring in the bottom of the eighth inning after Kohtaro Shimada would single to left field, scoring Jack Loftus, to even the score at four. 

The Westfield State and Western New England bullpens would force extra innings, with WNE getting the better chances to score in the bottom of the ninth after John Bova collected a leadoff double, though was squandered after the bases filled. 

Sean Hogan set the Owls down in order in the top of the 10^th before Joe Espinola would do the same to the Golden Bears in the bottom of the inning. Westfield State would come around to score in the top of the 11^th to take their second lead of the game when Trey Faulkner singled to right field, giving the Owls a 5-4 lead. As they did in the eighth inning, Western New England would quickly respond when John Bova completed the first cycle in the history of Western New England baseball, sending a home run over the fences in left field, evening the score at five. Paull Villecco would respond with a single down the third base line. CJ Willis would be walked as the next batter and Cody Waterbury would finish the job and complete the comeback for Western New England, doubling down the left field line to score Villecco, sending Western New England to a 6-5 win in dramatic fashion over Westfield State. 

Around the Horn:

• Sophomore John Bova went 4/4 at the dish in the win, collecting the first cycle in program history, capping it off with a solo home run to left field to tie the game in the bottom of the 11^th inning. 
• Paul Villecco collected three hits and two RBIs in the game while teammate Jack Loftus also collected three hits. 
• SP Jacob Hobart went the first 7.2 innings, giving up seven hits and three runs while walking one and striking out eight, throwing 109 pitches. 
• Dan Burnett led Westfield State, collecting three hits and four RBIs. 
• WNE scored six runs on 15 hits without committing an error. The Golden Bears move to 9-2-1 in non-conference play this season.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• WNE will host Framingham State University on Tuesday, March 28 at 3:30 PM.