Box Score SPRINGFIELD, Mass.--Bolstered by a 12-hit attack, sophomore David Cherry earned his first career win and freshman Matt Thomas recorded his first collegiate save as the Western New England University baseball team defeated visiting Bridgewater State, 5-3, in non-conference action at Pat Ricci Field at Trelease Park on Friday. The Golden Bears improve to 14-18-1 on the season while the Bears slip to 11-20.

Cherry scattered six singles, gave up three runs (two earned) and walked just one in eight innings pitched. He also tied his career high in strikeouts with seven. For his part, Thomas picked up a tough save after coming into the game with one out and two runners on base in the ninth, but got pinch-hitter John Mulready to pop-out to first base and Ryan Manning to ground out into a fielder's choice to end the game.

Sophomore Doug Milne led the Western New England offense by going 2-for-4 with two runs batted in. Senior co-captains Steve Ambrosino and Jeff Schult also had two hits, while sophomore T.J. Wyrebek also went 2-for-2 with a sacrifice fly and he reached base two other times when he was hit by a pitch.

Jacob Souza paced Bridgewater State at the plate with a 3-for-4 performance and two RBI. Nicholas White added two hits.

Western New England scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 lead. Wyrebek tied it at 2-2 with a sacrifice fly to bring home sophomore Matt Calzone, who had led off when he reached base on a hit by pitch. One batter later, Ambrosino tripled down the right field line to plate sophomore Scott Hubener, who was hit by a pitch. Milne promptly followed with a RBI-single to score Ambrosino.

In the fifth, the Bears closed within a run, 4-3, on Souza's RBI-single through the left side, and were threatening for more. But, Cherry was equal to the task as he struck out White on a breaking ball for the final out with two men on base to escape further damage.

Milne tacked on an insurance run with a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring sophomore Kevin Marciano who led off the sixth with a single through the left side.

Western New England went up 1-0 in the second inning when Hubener had a RBI-groundout before the Bears took its first lead of 2-1 on a wild pitch and a fielding error by the outfield in the third.

Western New England will have Senior Day on Saturday against Nichols College for a Commonwealth Coast Conference doubleheader; first pitch at Trelease has been pushed back two hours to 2 p.m.