WESTFIELD, Mass. – Western New England bombed three home runs in the doubleheader, as the Golden Bears swept Westfield State, 10-1 and 3-0 in a pair of non-conference games at the Westfield State softball field on Wednesday afternoon.
In the opener, WNE got the scoring started in the second inning with a solo home run ripped down the left field line by Madison Mason (Hopewell Jct., NY/John Jay). The Bears pushed one more across on an error in the third inning.
Western New England extended the lead in the fifth, getting a 2-run single from Kailey Carreno (West Haven, Conn) and an RBI double from Lizzie Weston (Ridgewood, NJ) to go up 5-0.
Westfield got one run back in the bottom half of the inning as Kiana Kalman (Somers, Conn.) drove in one with a single. The Owls threatened to close the gap but left a pair of runners aboard to end the inning.
Riley Kane added a two-run shot to left field in the sixth, and Carrano drove in another run with a base hit, to finish 2-4 with three RBI. Evelyn Picone (Mamaroneck, N.Y.) (W, 1-0) got the win, tossing four innings of shutout softball while allowing two hits.
For Westfield, Kalman and Victoria Quill (Raynham, Mass./B-R) each had a pair of hits. Starter Gianna Conte (Greenfield, Mass.) (L, 5-2) went the distance as the game was stopped after six innings by the eight-run rule.
In the nightcap the Golden Bears did all their damage in the first inning, getting a 2-run blast well over the left center field wall from Carreno, and an RBI double from Alex Ferriouolo (North Haven, Conn.).
Westfield had at least one runner aboard in all five innings but couldn't push a run across. The Owls had Christina Ciampa (Rockville, Conn./Vernon-Rockville) thrown out at the plate on a bang-bang tag play to end the third inning as she tried to score all the way from second on Hannah Wodecki's (Southampton, Mass./Hampshire Reg.) fly ball to the warning track.
Westfield starter Katherine Canty (Natick, Mass.) (L, 2-2) took the pitching loss. Jordyn Lummus (Pittsfield, Mass.) had a pair of hits for the Owls, and is now two hits shy of 100 in her career. Lummus had a sensational catch goig back on a line drive to center field late in the second game.
WNE reliever Ava Blanchard(New Hartford/NW Regional #7) (W, 6-3) got the win in relief of Shelby Parr (Braintree. Mass./Archbishop Williams) . The game was called due to darkness by the home plate umpire midway through the sixth inning.