WEST HARTFORD, Conn. (April 16, 2025) – The Golden Bears made their first trip to the University of Hartford for a conference doubleheader in program history on Wednesday. Game one saw the teams exchange the lead three times, with the Golden Bears tying the game in the top of the seventh but dropping the game in eight innings due to an Adelie Beebe three-run walk-off homerun. Game two saw the teams trade runs, with both teams hitting a home run during the game, and at the end of the contest, the teams tied 5-5 due to the game stopping because of darkness.

Game 1: Hartford 5, Western New England 3 (8 Innings)

Game one saw a defensive battle for much of the contest. It started with Alexis Sealey sitting down the first three Golden Bear batters faced one, two, three. The Hawks would get two runners on base via walks.  But with two on and one out, Ava Blanchard would get the next two outs for WNE and got out of the first inning. With two outs and no runners on in the top of the second, the Golden started a quick rally with a walk and an Ava Barnhart double, which drove Christina Salinas into home. WNE led 1-0 in the top of the second inning. After the final out of the top of the inning, Blanchard would keep the momentum on the Golden Bears' side by seeing four batters and getting three outs. In the third, WNE would get two hits, but then Sealey would get the final two outs of the inning, including a strikeout. Then, in the bottom of the third, Sealey would also make a mark on the offensive side of the plate. Sealey sent a home run sailing over the center field fence to tie the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the third. Blanchard let up one more hit in the inning but no runs and would get out of the third inning with one strikeout during the inning. Sealey would continue to keep the Golden Bears silent from the plate from the second in the fourth inning. Then, with a runner on second and one out, Sydney Matz doubled to left-center field and drove in Olivia Wolk to give the Hawks a 2-1 lead. Blanchard got the next two batters out and moved the game to the fifth inning. The Golden Bears would get two runners on base, but Sealey would get the final batter of the fifth inning out to keep the Hawks in the lead. Blanchard would answer with a one, two, three inning in the bottom of the fifth. The sixth saw the Golden Bears get a runner on, but then Sealey got the next three outs, and although the Hawks would load the bases in the bottom of the sixth, Blanchard would get the final batter to ground out, and the Golden Bears were down to their final three outs. They started the seventh with a double, and then a Marley Rodriguez single drove Shea McDaniel home, and WNE tied the game at 2-2. However, they could not drive any more runs home, and Sealey got out of the inning. The Hawks would get one runner on base in the eighth, but Blanchard got the three other batters faced out. In extra innings, Gracie Hopkins entered as the Hartford pitcher. Then, Nicolina Solanto would reach first on a fielder's choice, but that hit was enough to drive Alex Ferriouolo home, and WNE led 3-2. Hopkins would not let the Golden Bears extend their lead, and in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Hawks would look to walk off the Golden Bears. That's exactly what happened. Adelie Beebe slapped a three-run home run over the left field fence, scoring Olivia Wolk and Gia Miccio to help the Hawks win the game 5-3 in 8 innings.

Around the Diamond:

• The Golden Bears were led at the plate by Gracie Hemstock, who went 2-for-4.
• Nicolina Solanto and Ava Barnhart tallied an RBI each for the Golden Bears.
• Angelees Carrasquillo, Ava Barnhart, and Shea McDaniel each had an extra-base hit for the Golden Bears. Each hit was a double.
• Adelie Beebe led the Hawks from the plate with a 2-for-3 performance, with three RBIs and a walk-off home run.
• Sydney Matz also went 2-for-3 for the Hawks, with one RBI and a double.
• Alexis Sealey was the third student-athlete to have an extra-base hit for the Hawks, a home run.
• Ava Blanchard pitched seven innings, let up seven hits and three earned runs, and picked up two strikeouts for the Golden Bears.
• Alexis Sealey pitched seven innings, letting up seven hits and one earned run and struck out one batter for the Hawks. Gracie Hopkins pitched one inning, letting up one hit and one run to earn the Hawks the win.
• The Hawks defeated the Golden Bears 5-3 in eight innings.

Game 2: Western New England 5, Hartford 5

Game two saw Riley Kane and Ella Zobel in the pitching circle for the Golden Bears and Hawks, respectively. The Golden Bears struck quickly as their third batter, Gracie Hemstock, singled through the middle of the infield and drove Marley Rodriguez home. WNE led 1-0. The Golden Bears had three more hits in the inning but could not grab another run. Kane would strike out two of the three Hartford batters faced to get WNE out of the first quickly. WNE added to their lead in the second, with Angelees Carrasquillo reaching first due to an error with two outs, which brought Shea McDaniel home. WNE led 2-0. Kane saw three Hartford batters and got each out in the bottom of the second. The Golden Bears accumulated three more hits but could not add to their lead in the top of the third inning. The Hawks answered by getting two runs on the board in the bottom of the inning. Sarah Serrano hit a single with two runners in scoring position. That tied the game at 2-2 with no outs in the bottom of the third inning. Kane answered by getting three outs after that hit and keeping the score tied at 2-2 going into the fourth inning. The Golden Bears reclaimed the lead in the top of the fourth. Marley Rodriguez hit a single to right center field, which drove Shea McDaniel into home plate, and WNE led 3-2 with no outs. Carly Mayhood would enter as the new Hawks pitcher after that single and got the next three batters out to keep the score at 3-2, WNE. The Hawks responded thanks to an Ella Zobel solo home run to left center field in the beginning of the fourth. Then, Anita Farkash flew out to center field, but it would be a sacrifice fly ball, as Olivia Wolk tagged from third and scored. Hartford led 4-3. Kane got the final out and moved the game along to the fifth inning. Mayhood got the first two batters out, which included a strikeout before the Golden Bears rallied. An error, a walk, and then a single up the middle of the infield from Shea McDaniel drove Kim Baumann home, and WNE tied the game at 4-4. Mayhood struck out the final batter to get the Hartford offense on the field. However, Riley Kane got the first two batters to ground out and struck out the final batter to lead the game to the sixth inning. The top of the sixth inning saw Mayhood face four batters and get three out, including striking out one batter. However, the batter that did not get out was Riley Kane, who sent a solo home run over the left field fence, and WNE had a 5-4 lead going into the bottom of the sixth inning. The Hawks immediately answered with an Ella Zobel double, which drove in a run. The score was tied 5-5. Kane got the next three batters to ground out and got out of the inning, but the contest was still tied at five. The Golden Bears got their first batter on base in the top of the seventh but could not score, allowing Hartford a chance for another walk-off. Hartford got their first batter on base and would get a second runner on base but could not score as Kane got three outs and stranded a Hartford runner on third base to send the game to extra innings. However, the game was suspended due to darkness and ended in a tie, 5-5.

Around the Diamond:

• The Golden Bears were led at the plate by Riley Kane, who went 3-for-4 with one RBI and a home run.
• Shea McDaniel also went 3-for-4 during the game, with one RBI and a triple.
• McDaniel and Kane were the only Golden Bears to hit extra-base hits during game two.
• The Hawks were led by Ella Zobel, who went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, a double, and a home run.
• Sarah Serrano went 1-for-2, with two RBIs and a stolen base for the Hawks from the plate.
• Zobel had the only extra-base hits for the Hawks.
• The Hartford pitchers pitched seven innings combined, let up three earned runs and ten hits, and struck out seven Golden Bear batters.
• Riley Kane pitched seven innings for the Golden Bears, let up four earned runs and five hits, and struck out three Hawk batters.
• The Golden Bears and Hawks tied 5-5.

Up Next:

The Golden Bears will return to Golden Bear Softball Park for a nonconference doubleheader with Keene State College in Springfield, Massachusetts, on Thursday, April 17, 2025. Game one will be at 3:00 PM, and game two will start at 5:00 PM.