FARMINGDALE, N.Y. - Western New England College is off to a great start at the 2009 NCAA Division III New York Regional Baseball Tournament.

Senior lefty Bryan Calzone (Bethel, CT) pitched six solid innings for his ninth win of the season and the Golden Bears belted out 25 hits in rolling to a 16-5 victory over No. 20 Ithaca Wednesday (May 13) at the Farmingdale State College Complex.

This was the first meeting ever between the schools on the baseball diamond.

Calzone allowed eight hits, three runs, and struck out three without walking anyone in raising his record to 9-3.

Junior shortstop Justin Walz (Groton, CT) had four hits, including a triple, scored twice and drove in a pair of runs.

Sophomore third baseman Tony Trubia (Tolland, CT) had three singles in becoming the first player in school history to compile 70 hits in a season. He also knocked in three runs and scored a pair of runs.

Senior leftfielder Mike Beck (Whitesboro, NY) and sophomore catcher Jason Leclerc (Chicopee, MA) each contributed three hits, drove in two runs, and scored once.

Every starter had at least two hits as WNEC recorded its second highest hit total of the spring.

The Golden Bears scored six times in the third inning in chasing senior Bombers' ace Pete MacDaniel (Gansevoort, NY) who suffered his first loss in nine decisions.

Sophomore rightfielder Rob Zappia (Rochester, NY) hd a single, double, and two runs-batted-in for IC (29-9) while sophomore first baseman Trevor Wolf (Freeville, NY) had two singles and run scored.

Western New England College (30-15) reaches the 30-win plateau for the fifith time in the last six seasons.

Coach Matt LaBranche's squad will meet either Rensselaer or host Framingdale at 7:00 p.m. Thursday (May 14)  in a winners' bracket game.