SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The Western New England College softball team ran its winning streak to six games with a 1-0, 7-2 doubleheader sweep over visiting Roger Williams Saturday afternoon (March 28).
This was both the home and The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC) opener for the Golden Bears who improved their record to 9-4.
In the first game, senior pitcher Laura Bower (Hudson, MA) fired a three-hit shutout with five strikeouts and a walk. She retired the last two batters after the Hawks had runners on second and third in the seventh. Bower is now 2-2 this spring.
WNEC scored the only run in the fifth when sophomore first base player Trish Breault (Millville, MA) led off with a double and came home on a two-out single by freshman third base player Sarah Lempicki (Southington, CT).
Breault and Lempicki each finished with two hits along with freshman designated player Rachel Wyrwa (Methuen, MA).
Th second contest belonged to freshman third base player Sarah Barnes (Berkley, MA) who went 3-for-3 with three runs-batted in and two runs scored. Her big hit was a two-run homer (the first of her career), which tied the score in the second.
Western New England College broke the game open by scoring four unearned runs in the fourth inning.
Breault capped a fine day at the plate with two more singles and a run.
Junior Vic Lospinuso (West Islip, NY) improved to 4-1 with a complete game performance. She permitted only three hits (two in the opening inning) and walked one with a strikeout.
Freshman shortstop Hannah Pirez (Bolton, MA) had a two-run single to give Roger Williams a 2-0 lead in the first inning.
Junior leftfielder Michelle Caprice (Osk Ruidge, NJ) contributed a pair of singles for the Hawks who fall to 10-6 overall and 2-2 in the conference.
