SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The Western New England College baseball team split a doubleheader with visiting Nichols after taking the opener 6-2 before dropping a 3-2 decision in eight innings in the second game Monday afternoon (March 30) at Trelease Park.
The Golden Bears now have a 10-7 overall record and 5-3 mark in The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC). The Bison are 7-8 and 2-4 in the league.
The twinbill originally was scheduled to be played Sunday at Nichols, but postponed because of rain and then moved to Springfield because of an unplayable field. Western New England College was considered the "visiting" team and batted first in both contests.
In the first game, junior shortstop Justin Walz (Groton, CT) went 3-for-4 with a pair of runs-batted-in and runs scored, along with two stolen bases.
Senior centerfielder Chris Newell (Wallingford, CT) also had a 3-for-4 performance with a RBI.
The Golden Bears took a 2-0 lead in the first when Walz singled to start the game and scored on a triple to right center by sophomore rightfielder Tom Bouvier (East Longmeadow, MA). Newell then knocked in Bouvier with a single to center.
WNEC added two runs in both the third and fourth innings before the Bison notched a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth.
Senior Jason Pizzoferrato (Windsor, CT) had a complete game effort in raising his record to 3-1. He allowed four hits and walked four with six strikeouts.
The second game featured gutty pitching efforts between Western New England College senior Bryan Calzone (Bethel, CT) and sophomore Austin Martin (Wakefield, RI) of Nichols.
With two outs in the third, the Bison took a 1-0 lead with three straight hits as junior second baseman Al Montalto (Wilmington, MA) had a RBI single.
The Golden Bears tied the contest in the fifth when Walz singled to knocked in senior leftfielder Mike Beck (Whitesboro, NY) who was hit by a pitch to open the inning, then stole second, and advanced to third on a throwing error.
Beck, who made a nice running catch in the sixth, put the hosts ahead with a two-out RBI single in the eighth that scored sophomore third baseman Tony Trubia (Tolland, CT) who walked to lead-off the inning and moved to second on a ground-out. Beck also had two stolen bases in the game.
Junior first baseman Joe Griglun (Southington, CT) was 2-for-3 with a walk.
Nichols took advantage of an error and RBI singles by sophomore leftfielder George Sergi (Blackstone, MA) and freshman designated hitter Nicholas Fowler (Salem, MA) for the tying and winning runs in the bottom of the inning.
Calzone (2-2) was the hard-luck loser allowing seven hits with seven strikeouts and a walk.
Martin (2-1) also gave up seven hits and had five strikeouts and four walks. He pitched out of a bases loaded jam in the fourth and got the final out in the seventh when the Golden Bears had runners on first and third.
