NEW LONDON, N.H. - The Western New England College baseball team compiled 24 hits and totaled 21 runs in splitting a doubleheader with Colby-Sawyer Sunday (Apr. 20) at Kelsey Field.
The Golden Bears dropped a 13-12 decision in the opener when CSC junior second baseman Chris Gaeta (Lynn, MA) hit his second home run of the game, a two-run walk-off blast with two outs in the seventh. The Chargers belted four homers after WNEC pitchers entered the game allowing only one round-tripper in 229 innings.
Western New England College used the long ball itself in the second contest with senior designated hitter Travis Schwamb (West Springfield, MA) and sophomore catcher Tyler Montrone (Wilton, CT) each going deep in a 9-5 victory.
In the first game, the Golden Bears rallied from 6-1 and 11-7 deficits to take a 12-11 advantage after scoring five times in the seventh.
Schwamb (who played first base) had a pair of singles and three RBI while sophomore designated hitter Joe Griglun (Southington, CT) had a single, double, and pair of RBI.
Sophomore rightfielder Steve Kearney (Glastonbury, CT) (2 hits, 2 runs, 2 RBI), and freshman third baseman Tony Trupia (Tolland, CT) (2 hits, run) also had multi-hit games while sophomore second baseman Justin Walz (Groton, CT) had a single, two runs, and two RBI.
WNEC finished with nine hits to go along with eight walks, but made six errors, which led to three unearned runs.
Western New England College totaled 15 hits in the second contest with Schwamb going 4-for-4 with four RBI and two runs to put the finishing touches on a 6-for-7 day at the plate.
Senior shortstop Ryan Kravontka (Glastonbury, CT) went 3-for-3 with a run and RBI while junior centerfielder Chris Newell (Wallingford, CT) had a pair of doubles and three runs.
Montrone also added a single in addition to his first career homer while freshman leftfielder Andrew Fatse (Hampden, MA) had a single and RBI double.
The Golden Bears took a 6-4 lead into the seventh and tacked on three insurance runs following a RBI double by Walz and Schwamb's two-run blast (his second of the season).
Sophomore pitcher Erich Geckle (Baldwin Place, NY) had the complete victory allowing only five hits with a strikeout and two walks. He evened his record at 3-3.
Western New England College is now 22-10 overall and 14-4 in The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC).
Senior rightfielder Lee Chubet (Arlington, VT) and Gaeta smacked back-to-back homers to lead-off the first game for the Chargers. Chubet also had a triple and scored three runs as did Gaeta and junior first baseman Tom White (Lisbon, NH) who collected two singles, a double, and two RBI.
Sophomore third baseman Chris Hartery (Billerica, MA) had a single and two-run homer in the sixth, which gave the hosts the 11-7 advantage.
Colby-Sawyer has an 11-19 record, with a 7-11 conference mark.
