WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (March 16, 2016) - The Western New England University baseball team extended its season-opening winning streak to six games with a 10-8 victory over Clarkson University this morning at the Chain O'Lakes Complex in Winter Haven, Fla.

The Golden Bears (6-0) are off to their best start in the 48-year history of the baseball program with two games remaining in their spring break trip at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational. Clarkson drops to 2-6 with the loss.

Western New England continued to roll offensively, as the first seven players in the batting order all recorded multiple hits. Freshman outfielder Ben LaCroix (Branford, Conn.) led the way, going 3-for-6 with his first collegiate home run, a double, two RBI and three runs scored. Senior first baseman Daniel Morin (Salem, N.H.) went 3-for-4 with a double and three RBI, while senior Eduardo Colmenares (Caracas, Venezuela) and freshman Erik Lacaire (Worcester, Mass.) combined for five hits and four RBI.

Making his second start of the season, senior righthander David Cherry (Southbury, Conn.) allowed seven runs (six earned) on ten hits in six innings of work, but improved to 2-0 after striking out five batters and walking two. Junior Jacques Boilard (Brimfield, Mass.) came on in relief and retired all four of the batters he faced, while senior Matt Fedor (Monroe, Conn.) notched his first save of the season.

Clarkson also enjoyed a strong day at the plate, as nine different Golden Knights recorded at least one hit. Senior Greg Jasek (Chittenango, N.Y.) went 3-for-5 with a double and three RBI, while classmate Anthony Padrazo (Setauket, N.Y.) added a 2-for-5 effort with two RBI and one run.

Sophomore Will Coleman (Potsdam, N.Y.) got the start for Clarkson, dropping to 0-2 with the loss after giving up seven runs (six earned) on 11 hits in 5.2 frames.

Western New England jumped out to an early lead on Lacaire's RBI single in the top of the second, before plating four runs the next inning to open up a 5-0 lead. Colmenares drove in the first two runs in the third with a single up the middle, and Morin followed two batters later with a two-run double to left field.

Clarkson got all five runs back in the bottom half of the inning, however, as Jasek cleared the bases with a double to center field after Padrazo got the Golden Knights on the board with an RBI single. Clarkson then took advantage of a Western New England error to plate the game-tying run.

The Golden Bears reclaimed a one-run edge in the fifth on Lacaire's second RBI single of the contest, before tacking on three more in the sixth when Lacroix blasted a two-run run shot over the right field fence and Morin added an RBI single later in the frame.

The Golden Knights answered with two runs in the sixth, scoring on a passed ball and a wild pitch to pull back to within two (9-7). Another wild pitch, this time thrown by Clarkson freshman Ryan Riley (Sharon, Mass.) in the top of the seventh, allowed Western New England's tenth run to cross the plate.

The Golden Bears carried their three-run cushion into the bottom of the ninth inning, and gave the ball to Fedor to close out the contest. The senior got himself into a jam, giving up one run on three hits and loading the bases with just one out, but he retired the final two batters to keep Western New England's perfect record intact.

With just two games remaining on their season-opening trip in Florida, the Golden Bears return to Auburndale tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. to take on Franklin & Marshall (Pa.) University. Clarkson will face Cortland State at 3:30 p.m., also in Auburndale.