Keene State Holds Baseball to Four Hits, WNE Falls 5-1

KEENE, N.H. (April 7, 2023) – The Western New England baseball team fell on the road on Thursday afternoon to the hosting Owls of Keene State College by a final score of 5-1. WNE could only manage four total hits in the contest while the Owls put forth 12 hits to run away with the victory.

Records:

• Western New England: 13-5-1
• Keene State: 10-11

Pitching Records:

• W: Evan Cali: 2-0
• L: Matt Lauria: 2-2

How it Happened:

Keene State got on the board first in the bottom of the second inning after the Golden Bears threatened to score in the top of the inning though Brendan Muhs, starting pitcher for KSC, was able to escape the jam, leaving leverage for the Owls. KSC got on base with two hits and a walk without grabbing an out to open the second before a sacrifice fly would produce KSC's first run of the game, giving the Owls a 1-0 lead. 

Western New England would load the bases in the top of the third inning after CJ Willis singled, Cody Waterbury sent a double to left, and Jack Loftus took a walk before Muhs would be able to escape, getting a ground out to first base, leaving Western New England off the scoreboard. A second sacrifice fly to score a run came through for the Owls in the bottom of the fourth inning as KSC would take a 2-0 lead through four. 

Keene State would get their first hits to score runs as a big sixth inning would put the Owls over the top of WNE. Two singles to right field and a double to left field would give Keene State a 5-0 lead through six innings. Western New England would grab a run in the top of the seventh inning after CJ Willis would send a double to center field to score Jake Gerraughty, giving Western New England their first run of the game. The Golden Bears would fail to score from then on out, as Keene State pitching would sit down the Golden Bears and run away with a 5-1 victory in non-conference play. 

Inside the Diamond:

• Western New England was only able to grab four hits in the nine-inning game, as CJ Willis would grab two of those, going 2/5 at the plate with an RBI. 
• WNE pitching would struggle on the day as SP Matt Lauria would go the first four innings, giving up four hits and two runs while walking one and striking out two. Western New England gave up 12 hits in the loss. 
• KSC pitching struck out six Golden Bears. On offense, the Owls were led by both Brendan Eaton and Tommy Ahlers who combined to go 7/8 at the dish. 

Up Next on the Schedule:

• Western New England heads to Suffolk University for an important doubleheader on Saturday, April 8, beginning at noon.