2009 TCCC Tournament champions
Photo by Ted Schwamb

MILTON, Mass. – Never count out the Western New England College baseball team.

Sophomore second baseman Andrew Fatse (Hampden, MA) had four hits, including two homers, and drove in three runs as the second-seeded Golden Bears upset top-seeded and No. 14 Curry 10-2 Sunday afternoon (May 3) in the championship game of The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC) Tournament.

WNEC posted a 4-1 record in the tournament, but had to win an elimination game (8-3 over Roger Williams on Saturday) to advance to the title contest.

Western New England College (29-15) earns an automatic berth in the upcoming NCAA Division III Championship, which begins May 13 at regional sites around the nation. (Eastern Connecticut will host the New England Regional May 13-19 in Willimantic, Connecticut.)

This is the Golden Bears' second season in the conference and coach Matt LaBranche's squad has now won back-to-back titles after being the third-seed in last year's event. Western New England College captured Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament crowns in 2006 and 2007 in its final two seasons in the league.

Fatse, a first-year starter, scored four runs in the contest and extended his school-record single season RBI mark to 66.

Sophomore third baseman Tony Trubia (Tolland, CT) and freshman designated hitter Matt Fleishman (East Northport, NY) also belted homers in the 12-hit attack. Trubia finished with three hits, three RBI, and scored a run while Fleishman (who has a team-high seven home runs) also added a single.

The Colonels (34-7) took a 1-0 lead in the second on a double by senior right fielder James Geosits (Wyomissing, PA) and RBI single by senior third baseman Ralph Renzulli (Rowley, MA).

Trubia smacked a two-run blast in the fourth that gave the Blue and Gold the lead for good.

Curry got within 3-2 in the sixth before the Golden Bears tallied three times in the seventh, once in the eighth, and three more times in the ninth highlighted by a two-run blast by Fatse.

Senior pitcher Bryan Calzone (Bethel, CT) went five-and-a-third innings allowing only five hits and two runs with a walk and strikeout. He now has a team best eight wins against only three loses.

Sophomore Evan Michaud (Windsor Locks, CT) gave up only one hit and fanned two in the final 3.2 innings to gain his first save of the season and second of his career.

Junior Cory Moore (Lynn, MA) (5-2) was the losing pitcher.

Curry, which had a 4-2 tournament record, reached the final after defeating Endicott twice on Saturday (May 2) in elimination games. The Gulls earlier blanked the Colonels 2-0.