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Box Score 2
CLERMONT, Fla.--Western New England opened the 2013 softball season on Saturday afternoon at the National Training Center by going 1-1 in a split-doubleheader, blanking William Paterson 2-0 before losing to Benedictine, 13-5 in six innings.
Against the Pioneers, sophomore
Lauren Zambrano was stellar in the pitching circle while making her WNE debut after playing last season at NCAA Division II Southern New Hampshire. She struck out seven and allowed just three singles while going the distance to earn her first career shutout.
Zambrano and the Golden Bears got all the offense they would need in the bottom of the second inning. Freshman
Heather Fecteau reached base on an error to lead off. After a flyout, Zambrano drew a walk. Then following a pop-up to second, junior
Maria Francese delivered a single to left-center field that scored Fecteau from second.
Western New England added another run in the fourth when freshman
Alexis Bukowski got a RBI-single through the left side.
The Pioneers (1-1) threatened in the fourth when the leadoff batter reached on a hit by pitch. But after Samantha Mulderig sacrificed Katelyn Miele to second base, Zambrano got the next two hitters to strikeout and flyout.
Zambrano faced some trouble again in the seventh when the Pioneers got back-to-back singles with one out. But once again, she and her defense escaped unscathed on a lineout and flyout to end the game.
In the second game, the Golden Bears erupted for 11 hits but were stymied by poor fielding that led to three unearned runs.
Senior co-captain
Laura Madaio led the WNE offense by going 2-for-2 with two runs batted in. Sophomore leadoff batter
Jocelyn Agnelli and Francese also had two hits each.
The Eagles jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, but Western New England responded immediately with three of its own in the second. Madaio, Francese and Agnelli all had RBI singles.
Benedictine, which scored four times in the third to lead for good, lashed 15 hits. The game ended with one out in the bottom of the sixth due to the NCAA run rule.
