BEVERLY, Mass. (May 10, 2024) – The Western New England baseball team came away with another lopsided victory in Commonwealth Coast Conference tournament action, defeating the third-seeded Rams of Suffolk University by a final score of 12-2.
Records:
- No. 5 Western New England: 23-19
- No. 3 Suffolk University: 26-17
How it Happened:
The Golden Bears opened the game with the first two runs of the game after
John Bova started a rally with two outs in the inning, collecting a single.
Sean Jamieson would walk, putting two aboard for
Cody Waterbury, who delivered a two-RBI double for the Golden Bears, to put the fifth seed in front early.
Greg Nivison would get the ball for the Golden Bears, allowing one hit in the bottom of the first, though would get a strikeout to end Suffolk's threat in the inning. The Golden Bears would extend their lead in the top of the second after
Bovareached on another single, starting the afternoon 2/2, while
Jamieson would come through with a full count and a two-run home run, doubling the Golden Bears lead, giving Western New England a 4-0 lead after three innings of play.
The red-hot bats of Western New England would continue to hit, seeing
Ryan Montini come away with an RBI single of his own with the bases loaded in the top of the fourth to extend the Golden Bears lead to five. Suffolk would crack the code of
Nivison in the bottom of the fifth inning, scoring their first run of the game when Harry Painter collected an RBI double with one out. The first-year starter for the Golden Bears would bear down, leaving two Rams on base.
The Golden Bears would break the game open in the top of the sixth with four runs and three hits in the inning to take a 9-1 lead over the Rams.
Kohtaro Shimada would lead off the inning after being hit by a pitch, while
Henry Schowerer would single to left field, putting two runners on with no outs.
Paul Villecco would record a two-RBI double to send the two runners home, giving WNE a 7-1 lead. The Golden Bears would add two more when
John Bova smacked a two-RBI double of his own, scoring two more andS giving the Golden Bears a 9-1 lead.
Two runs in the eighth and one more in the ninth would give Western New England what they needed to control the game and take a win. Both
Bova and
Jamieson would collect their third RBIs each in the eighth, while
Paul Villecco did the same in the ninth, scoring Western New England's 12
th run of the game. Greg
Nivison,
Cam Heeman, and
Aidan Gowaski would throw nine innings for the Golden Bears, giving up just five hits to the Rams. With the win, the Golden Bears advance in the tournament to take on second-seeded Roger Williams University at 4:45 PM.
Inside the Lines:
- Paul Villecco, John Bova, and Sean Jamieson led the Golden Bears offensively in the victory, combining to go 9/14 at the plate, collecting nine of Western New England's 12 RBIs.
- WNE slashed 14 hits in the win, grabbing double-digit hits in all four of Western New England's postseason games.
- Greg Nivison tossed five innings, earning his third win of the season, giving up just three hits and a run while striking out one.
- Western New England eliminates Suffolk from playoff contention following their second loss of the day.
Up Next on the Schedule:
- WNE is right back in action on Friday, May 10 at 4:45 PM to take on No. 2 RWU in another elimination contest, WNE's third of the playoffs.