SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (April 23, 2022) – The Western New England Softball team had two great wins in CCC play against Roger Williams Hawks on Saturday afternoon, taking the first game 4-3, and dominating in the second with first career homerun on a Grand Slam from Alyssa Poisson.

Records:

• Western New England: 20-12, 10-4 CCC
• Roger Williams: 6-25, 3-9 CCC

Game 1: Western New England 4, Roger Williams 3

In the top of the first Roger Williams went without any runs, and in the bottom the Golden Bears Kailey Carrano had a single and Alex Ferriouolo hit a double, but still didn't hit the scoreboard. After no hits or runs in the second inning, the Hawks completed two runs to take a 2-0 lead in the top of the third. They had two outs already in the inning when Francesca Cioffi hit a single to center field for two RBIs before their third out. The Golden Bears had two hits in the bottom but still did not score. In the bottom of the fourth, they picked up their first run of the game. Lizzie Weston started with a single to right field and she advanced to second while Brianna Floyd was grounded out. Ines Baez Flores hit another single, and Alyssa Poisson picked up the RBI as Weston made it to home base. The Golden Bears were on the board but still trailed 2-1 to the Hawks.

A double play for the Golden Bears helped them to quickly give the Hawks three outs and bring the game into the bottom of the fifth where WNE took control of the game. The play started with a single hit from Dina DiBlasio, followed by Carrano, and another one from Ferriouolo. After getting one out, Cori Rizzo collected the RBI on a double to centerfield. The Golden Bears got another out at bat, but then Floyd picked up two more Golden Bear RBIs off of a single to right center. They took a 4-2 lead on the game. They kept the Hawks from scoring in the sixth and held them to one run in the top of the seventh. The Golden Bears won 4-3 in the first of the pair on the day.

Behind The Box score:

• The Golden Bears Kailey Carrano, Alex Ferriouolo, and Cori Rizzo hit doubles in the game. Rizzo also had an RBI, completed a run, and had a fielding double play while Carrano was 3-4 at bat.
• Brianna Floyd had two RBI and Alyssa Poisson had the other RBI for the Golden Bears.
• Starting Pitcher Megan Beebe pitched in all seven innings, she faced 33 batters, allowed 3 runs and had four strikeouts.
• The Golden Bears had four runs on 13 hits and allowed three runs on eight hits.

Game 2: Western New England 10, Roger Williams 4

The Golden Bears were the first on the scoreboard in game 2. Kailey Carrano hit the first homerun of the game for two RBIs in the bottom of the first to give them a 2-0 lead. After keeping the Hawks from getting a run again in the second, the Golden Bears got four runs. Madison Mason started it off with a single, Brianna Floyd reached first on an error, and Amaya George singled to left field. To wrap it up, freshman Alyssa Poisson hit a grand slam for her first career homerun and gave WNE 6-0 lead. The Hawks tried to get back in the ball game in the top of the fourth when they went for four runs on four hits. Casey Uryga had one of the RBIs for Roger Williams and Isabelle Rosado had three RBIs on a double to left center. The Golden Bears did not score in the bottom but still lead 6-4 entering the fifth. The Hawks would not score another run for the remainder of the game. The Golden Bears put up two more points in the bottom of the fifth inning. Up to bat first in the inning was Taylor Keegan who hit a double and stole second. Dina DiBlasio hit a triple for an RBI and Cori Rizzo earned an RBI on a single. They now had an 8-4 game lead. The Golden Bears picked up their final points in the bottom of the sixth. Poisson advanced to second on Taylor Keegan's hit, then to third on an error then slid past Homeplate to score unearned. Keegan also scored unearned. The Golden Bears had a 10-4 game that they closed out in the top of the seventh and earn their second win on the day.

Inside The Diamond:

• Western New England's Alyssa Poisson hit a homerun, went 2-3, collected four RBI's and completed two runs. Kailey Carrano also hit a homerun, had three RBIs and completed a run.
• Dina DiBlasio and Cori Rizzo combined for two RBIs, DiBlasio adding a triple hit and two runs.
• Starting Pitcher Ava Blanchard pitched in 6.0 innings, collecting the win, she faced 29 batters, allowed four runs, and had three strikeouts.
• The Golden Bears had 10 runs in 13 hits and allowed four hits on nine runs.

Up Next: The Golden Bears are on the road for their next four games, the next to will take place at Westfield State University Thursday, April 28^th with a 3:30 and 5:30 start.

The Hawks will head back home for their next pair of ballgames Sunday, April 24^th, for CCC play where they will host the Wentworth Institute Leopards for a 12:00 and 2:00 p.m. game.