CLERMONT, Fla. (March 13, 2016) - The Western New England University softball team broke out offensively, recording 24 hits and 23 runs in a pair of resounding victories over Plattsburgh State University and the University of Massachusetts Boston this evening in non-conference action at the National Training Center in Clermont, Florida.
 
The Golden Bears posted a 12-4 victory over the Cardinals in the opener, before cruising to an 11-0 shutout of the Beacons in game two. Both contests ended early as Western New England held an eight-run lead after five innings.
 
Western New England 12, SUNY Plattsburgh 4
Four different Golden Bears posted multi-hit performances in the first game of the night, led by sophomore Lindsay Williams (Coventry, Conn.), who went 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs. Junior shortstop Gabby Lavinio (Dalton, Mass.) turned in a 2-for-3 effort at the plate with a double, a home run and four RBI, while classmate Corianna DeLisi (Tuxedo, N.Y.) and senior Heather Fecteau (Biddeford, Maine) recorded two hits and two runs each.
 
Senior Heidi Grieger (Hyde Park, N.Y.) got the start in the circle and earned the win after going the distance and allowing four runs, none of which were earned, with seven strikeouts and just one walk. Grieger also contributed offensively, belting a three-run homer in the first inning.
 
Sophomore Dominique Zummo (Commack, N.Y.) paced the Plattsburgh State offense with a pair of doubles and one RBI, while three other Cardinals drove in a run.
 
Western New England wasted no time in getting its offense going, as the Golden Bears built a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on a two-run double by Lavinio and a three-run shot by Grieger.
 
Plattsburgh State answered with four runs in the top of the third, however, as Zummo, freshman Anna Fisher (Brockport, N.Y.), and sophomore Jackie Decker (Adams, N.Y.) all recorded RBI doubles and freshman Jennifer Groat (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) added an RBI single. Western New England was able to avoid further damage when the Cardinals left a pair of runners in scoring position.
 
The Golden Bears got a run back in the third on senior outfielder Alexis Bukowski's (Wallingford, Conn.) RBI double, before breaking the game open with four more runs in the fourth and sealing the win with two in the fifth, capped by senior McKenzie Pezze's (Albany, N.Y.) bases loaded HBP.
 
Western New England 11, UMass Boston 0
The Golden Bears did all of their damage over the first two innings in game two, putting six runs on the board in the first and five in the second. Williams led the way again, going 3-for-4 for the second straight contest with two RBI and one run scored. Lavinio went 2-for-2 with two runs, while Fecteau and Bukowski recorded two hits and one RBI each.
 
Junior Samantha DiGiovanni (Shirley, N.Y.) improved to 1-1 with the win after logging three shutout innings in the circle and allowing just three hits. Sophomores Emily Cramer (Stoughton, Mass.) and Sarah Broderick (Woodbury, Conn.) each saw time in relief, posting a pair of scoreless frames.
 
The Golden Bears plated six runs in the top of the first without recording an extra base hit, as Fecteau, Williams, sophomore Jenn Luba (Plymouth, Conn.), junior Katie Wood (Westport, Mass.) and senior Tara Cabral (Kingston, Mass.) all delivered RBI singles.
 
Bukowski added an RBI single in the second, before a three-run error and another RBI single by Williams increased Western New England's lead to 11-0. UMass Boston was unable to generate any offense, as DiGiovanni, Cramer and Broderick kept the Beacons off the board the rest of the way, capping the Golden Bears' 2-0 day.
 
Western New England (2-2) will be back in action tomorrow at Hancock Park in Clermont with games against Babson and William Paterson at 11 AM and 3 PM, respectively.