DUDLEY, Mass. (May 7, 2024) – The Western New England baseball team scored ten runs in the opening inning of the Commonwealth Coast Conference Tournament opener on Tuesday afternoon and took down the Nichols College Bison with ease, putting together their highest runs and hits totals of the season, taking a 24-6 victory.

Records:

• No. 5 Western New England: 21-18
• No. 4 Nichols College: 29-12

How it Happened:

he Golden Bears got the game started early and often in the first inning, collecting eight hits in the opening inning while scoring ten runs to take a major early advantage. Paul Villecco singled to left field to open the Golden Bears. Western New England would not record an out before Nichols' Clark Churchill was pulled from the game, giving up four hits while walking one and hitting a batter. The Golden Bears would score five runs off the Bison's ace as John Bova, Cody Waterbury (2), Aaron Cole, and Henry Schowerer would collect RBIs for Western New England, taking a 5-0 lead. All nine batters in the Western New England order would reach their first time up. Nichols would record their first out of the inning on a flyout, though it would come at a cost as Villecco's fall ball would plate another run for the Golden Bears. Western New England continued to hit as Bova came away with two more RBIs in the inning, giving the Golden Bears an 8-0 lead. Cody Waterbury recorded two additional RBIs of his own, collecting four in the inning with a single, giving the Golden Bears a 10-0 lead after a half inning.

The Bison would get one run back in the bottom half of the first inning after Jonny Knox sent a long ball to left field to put the hosts on the scoreboard. Ryan Montini would collect a home run of his own in the top of the second, a three-run shot after Henry Schowerer and Paul Villecco would reach with two outs as Montini would give the Golden Bears a 13-1 lead. The Bison would continue to hit Matt Lauria, coming away with three hits in the bottom of the second inning and scoring another run, dropping WNE's lead to 11 runs. The Golden Bears would not score in the third inning, one of just two innings in which the fifth-seeded Golden Bears would fail to score. Nichols would grab two runs of their own in the bottom of the third, as the Bison would not go down without a fight. The Golden Bears were assessed with three errors in the inning.

Graduate student Paul Villecco would lead off the top of the fourth with the second home run of the afternoon for the Golden Bears, who grabbed their double-digit lead back, giving the Golden Bears a 14-4 lead. Ryan Montini and John Bova would continue to rack up the RBIs in the top of the fifth inning as the Golden Bears continued to smack around Nichols pitching, giving the Golden Bears a 16-4 lead after five innings of play.

Three more runs in the top of the sixth for Western New England would be more than enough for the Golden Bears to put away Nichols. Jack Loftus would lift a home run for the Golden Bears in the inning, while Montini grabbed his fifth RBI of the afternoon on a single to right field, increasing Western New England's lead to 15 runs. Nichols would come around with two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning off Alex Slezak, who tossed 1.2 innings for the Golden Bears, giving up two hits and two runs on 19 pitches. Nichols would trail 19-6 after six innings of work. Western New England would plate their 20^th run of the game in the top of the seventh inning on an RBI double from Jack Loftus, who grabbed his second hit with an RBI attached to it, giving Western New England a 20-6 lead. The Golden Bears would add one more in the inning to take a 21-6 lead.

Greg Nivison would toss 2.1 innings in the game for the Golden Bears, giving up just two hits while striking out one to keep the Bison at bay. Western New England would score their final three runs of the game in the top of the ninth inning, as Ryan Snow would lead off the ninth with a pinch-hit double while Aaron Cole would quickly drive in the senior with a double of his own. Billy McGuire grabbed an RBI groundout as a pinch hitter, and John Bova would cap off an outstanding afternoon, collecting his sixth hit of the game and fifth RBI overall, giving the Golden Bears a 24-6 lead, a lead that Robert Zawacki would hold onto in the bottom of the ninth. WNE would stay in the winners bracket and take down Nichols on the road by a final score of 24-6.

Inside the Lines:

• Seven Golden Bears recorded at least two hits in the win. John Bova led the Golden Bears with six hits in eight at-bats, collecting five RBIs in the win, tied for the team best.
• Ryan Montini collected a home run while picking up five RBIs for the Golden Bears.
• Paul Villecco (4 hits, 3 RBIs), Cody Waterbury (3 hits, 4 RBIs), Jack Loftus (2 hits, 3 RBIs), Aaron Cole (3 hits, 2 RBIs), and Kohtaro Shimada (2 hits) all helped the Golden Bears pound out 26 hits and 24 runs in the win.
• Ryan Snow collected his first hit of the season, a double, in the win. Billy McGuire came around with a pinch hit RBI, his first RBI in his first game played of the season.
• SP Matt Lauria went the first four innings for the Golden Bears, giving up ten hits and two earned runs while striking out one.
• The Golden Bears were awarded nine walks and seven hit-by-pitches in the game. The Bison threw 252 pitches in the game.
• Today's 18-run victory is the largest margin of victory for the Golden Bears against Nichols. The 24-runs are the most for WNE against Nichols. The previous high was 19 in 2006.
• WNE improves to 2-1 this season against the Bison.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• The fifth seeded Golden Beas travek to Endicott College to take on the Gulls on Thursday, May 9 at 12:00 pm to continue the CCC Tournament.