Box Score (Game 1)

Box Score (Game 2)

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The Western New England College baseball team split a doubleheader with visiting Endicott Saturday (Apr. 24) to earn a share of The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC) regular season title.

The Golden Bears won the opener 8-4 before the Gulls came back with five runs in the seventh to take the second contest 7-6.

WNEC (28-8), Endicott (25-13), and Curry (25-11) all ended conference play with 17-5 marks to finish in a three-way tie. 

Based on the tie-breaking procedure, the Golden Bears earned the second seed and will meet seventh-seeded Anna Maria (19-17) at 3:00 p.m. Tuesday (April 27) in the opening round of the playoffs.

In the opener, junior third baseman Tony Trubia (Tolland, CT) went 3-for-3 with a walk, three runs, and a run-batted-in while junior catcher Jason Leclerc (Chicopee, MA) also had three hits and a run.

Senior first baseman Joe Griglun (Southington, CT) added a single, double, two runs, and RBI.

Senior Matt Rogers (Portsmouth, RI) pitched 5 2/3 innings giving up eight hits and four runs with six strikeouts and no walks to raise his record to 7-1.

The Golden Bears scored three times in the first, twice in the third, and three runs in the fifth to take an 8-0 lead. 

Junior left fielder Andrew Fatse (Hampden, MA) hit a two-run double to account for the final two runs.

Sophomore right fielder Tom Bouvier (East Longmeadow, MA) and freshman second baseman Mike Rubino (Northford, CT) each chipped-in with two RBI.

Endicott scored all of its runs in the sixth with senior designated hitter Aaron Santos (Cambridge, MA) delivering a RBI triple followed by a single from senior catcher Joe Klein (Monroe, CT). Three batters later, senior first baseman Andrew Betts (Bristol, CT) knocked-in two runs with a single.

WNEC sophomore Mike Lawlor (Windsor, CT) kept the Gulls off the board in the seventh despite giving up two hits. He struck out the final two batters to end the game.

In the second game, Endicott took advantage of two errors in the seventh to score five times, but only one run was earned.

Freshman designated hitter Ralph Fidaleo (Fairfield, CT) had three hits and three RBI, including a big two-run single in the deciding frame. He and Klein had run-scoring singles in the third to give the Gulls an early 2-0 lead.

Western New England College tied the contest in the fourth on a RBI single by Trubia and sacrifice fly by Rubino. The Golden Bears took the lead with three runs in the sixth as Rubino, Fatse, and Griglun came through with run-scoring singles.

Griglun was a perfect 4-for-4 (with a double) to cap a six-hit afternoon at the plate.

Freshman Kevin Jefferis (Cheshire, CT) went six innings for the hosts giving up just six hits and two runs with four strikeouts and four walks. Lawlor entered the game in the seventh and allowed four hits in suffering is first loss in four decisions.

Santos finished with two hits and Klein two runs-batted-in for Endicott. Freshman Tyler Hitchcock (Abington, MA) (the third Gulls' pitcher) went two innings giving up a run, walk, and two hits to improve his record to 2-1.