Golden Bears Salvage Split in CCC Opener at Wentworth

WNE bounces back with 7-1 win in game two after dropping opener 7-6

BOSTON, Mass. (April 1, 2019) – The Western New England University softball team opened Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) play with a doubleheader split at Wentworth Institute of Technology on Monday afternoon at Sweeney Field. The Golden Bears dropped game one, 7-6, before bouncing back with a 7-1 win in game two.

Wentworth 7, Western New England 6

Top Performers
Freshman Dina DiBlasio (Norwalk, Conn.) and junior Paige Uliase (Meriden, Conn.) both went 2-for-3 at the plate with one RBI in the opener, while freshman Jamie Cookingham (Warner, N.H.) and sophomore Carlie Moss (Delmar, N.Y.) drove in two runs each.

Wentworth sophomore Kayla DeMedeiros (South Dartmouth, Mass.) went 1-for-3 with two RBI to pace the Leopards offensively.

Game Review
The Leopards struck first with a run in the bottom of the first inning, as freshman Katie Verreault (Scarborough, Maine) hit a leadoff triple and came in to score on an RBI groundout by classmate Alexandra Pina (Cumberland, R.I.).

Wentworth took a 2-0 lead the following inning on an RBI single by freshman Isabelle Frank (Dix Hills, N.Y.), but Western New England pulled ahead with four runs in the top of the third.

Sophomore Allie Buzzeo (Stamford, Conn.) got the rally started with a leadoff single, and junior Aimee Kistner (Taunton, Mass.) walked before DiBlasio recorded an infield single to load the bases. Cookingham then worked a walk to bring in a run, and two batters later Moss delivered a two-run double to right field. Uliase capped the big frame with an RBI groundout, scoring sophomore Emilie Decker (Pattersonville, N.Y.).

Western New England's lead didn't last long, as Wentworth put five runs on the board in the bottom of the third to pull back ahead, 7-4.  

With two on and two out in the frame, DeMedeiros drove in both runners with a single to center field. DeMedeiros then scored on a dropped fly ball in the outfield, and another error later in the inning allowed two more Leopards to cross the plate.

Western New England got two runs back in the fourth on an RBI double by DiBlasio and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Cookingham, but the Golden Bears stranded one runner on base in the fifth and went down in order in the sixth and seventh innings.

Western New England 7, Wentworth 1

Top Performers
Kistner turned in strong performances both at the plate and in the circle in the second contest of the day, as she went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored, while also pitching a complete game with ten strikeouts and just one run over seven innings.

Uliase drove in two more runs, and sophomore Emily Cooney (Berlin, Conn.) got on base five times with a single and four walks.

Verreault accounted for one of Wentworth's four hits and drove in the Leopards only run of the game.   

Game Review
After falling behind early in the opener, the Golden Bears jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning of game two courtesy of Cookingham's RBI ground-rule double, which scored Cooney.

Western New England increased its advantage to 3-0 in the third on Uliase's two-run single to center field, and the visitors added a run in the fifth on an RBI single through the right side of the infield by Decker.

The Leopards broke through in the bottom of the fifth on Verreault's RBI double to left field, but Wentworth was unable to get to Kistner for any more runs after that point.

Western New England scored three insurance runs in the seventh, as Moss, Cooney and sophomore Madison Murabito (Liverpool, N.Y.) all had one RBI in the inning.

Up Next
Western New England (9-7, 1-1 CCC) will be back in action on Thursday with a pair of non-conference games at Keene State, while Wentworth (8-11, 2-4 CCC) travels to Roger Williams on Saturday.