Box Score KEENE, N.H.--Visiting Western New England jumped out to a 6-0 lead after three innings and then had to stave off a furious Keene State rally to nip the Owls, 7-6, in a non-conference baseball game on Wednesday at the KSC Owls Sports Complex. The Golden Bears won for the fifth time in six true road games to improve to 15-6 on the season, while the Owls dip to 10-15.

Sophomore Steve Buckley led WNE's 11-hit attack by going 2-for-5 at the plate, including a grand slam in the very first inning to stake the Golden Bears to a 4-0 lead. The home run was Buckley's first of the year.

"We found a way to get it done again today. We are really not playing our best baseball but continue to grind out wins," Western New England coach Matt LaBranche said. "When we start playing well, we will be dangerous."

Junior starter Brendan Nugent picked up the win (4-1). Senior Kevin Jefferis pitched the final two innings to get the save and didn't allow a hit nor a run. He struck out four and gave up only a walk.

Senior co-captain Tim Clark, senior Kyle McKelvey and junior Jeff Schult had two hits apiece for the Golden Bears. Both Schult and McKelvey had a run batted in.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, and with three runs already in for Keene State, sophomore Nick Salerno entered the game as WNE's fourth pitcher of the day and inherited the bases loaded with only one out. But the 6-foot-4, 235-pound right-hander beared down got the next two batters out on a grounder and strikeout to escape the jam without further damage.

"Salerno and Jefferis were huge out of the pen. Keene had all the momentum late and those two guys were really dominant for the last eight outs," said LaBranche.