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Western New England University

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BSB 4.22.25
8
Winner Saint Joseph (Conn.) USJ 21-13
7
Western New Eng. WNE 18-12
Winner
Saint Joseph (Conn.) USJ
21-13
8
Final
7
Western New Eng. WNE
18-12
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Saint Joseph (Conn.) USJ 0 0 0 0 0 4 2 2 0 8 12 3
Western New Eng. WNE 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 7 12 5

W: M. Tarfano (3-0) L: Melone, Andrew (1-2) S: C. Zampolin (1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

USJ Storms Back From Seven Down To Stun WNE Baseball

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (April 22, 2025) – The Western New England baseball team scored seven runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to take a 7-0 lead in the game but would see the Blue Jays of the University of Saint Joseph come up with the next eight runs and would stun the Golden Bears with an 8-7 result in non-conference on Tuesday afternoon from Trelease Park.

Records:
  • Western New England: 18-12
  • University of Saint Joseph: 21-13
How it Happened:

Greg Nivison tossed a nine-pitch, nine-strike top of the first inning, grabbing one strikeout that set USJ down quickly. The Golden Bears came up with one hit in the bottom of the inning when Ryan Montini struck for a single through the right side of the diamond, but WNE would not be able to take advantage of the two-out hit, seeing the score remain at zero after one inning of play. Neither team came away with anything in the second inning, but the Blue Jays picked up their first hit in the top of the third to stop Nivison's perfect game but would strike out twice as the strike-throwing machine in Nivison would set down the Blue Jays quickly following their first hit of the game. Western New England would threaten in the bottom of the third with two outs as both Tyler Kornacki and John Bova would single up the middle to put two runners on base, but the threat would end on a groundout by the Golden Bears as the score remained tied at zero after three innings. 

USJ reached on an error by Western New England in the top of the fourth to start the inning, but a 5-4-3 double play turned by Kornacki, Connor Cowern, and Trey Young would set the Blue Jays down quickly again. The Golden Bears would explode for seven runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, taking a commanding lead in the game. Leo Paragarino got the hit parade started on a single up the middle while Connor Cowern was hit by a pitch. Corey Kilroy would then deliver an RBI single to get the Golden Bears on the scoreboard with a single to left center field, giving WNE a 1-0 lead. Andrew Florek would reach on a single for WNE that scored another while Trey Young came up with a double down the right field line to give the Golden Bears a 3-0 lead. John Bova would be the next to deliver for the Golden Bears, coming up with a two-RBI single to right center field, extending WNE's lead to five. 13 Golden Bears would come to the dish in the fourth inning for WNE. Connor Cowern would be the last Golden Bear to pick up RBIs to end the fourth, coming up with a two-RBI single through the left side of the diamond, giving the Golden Bears a 7-0 lead after four innings. 

The Blue Jays would fight back in the top of the sixth, putting up a four-spot on Nivison that would chase the righty from the game, going the first 5.2 innings overall in the game. Dimitri Boulas would get the final out of the sixth inning with a runner on base to prevent further damage for the Golden Bears. WNE would threaten in the bottom of the sixth with two runners on but could not add to their total in the game, leading 7-4 after six innings of play. The Blue Jays added two more runs in the top of the seventh inning as defensive miscues from Western New England would cost them two unearned runs as USJ got within one run 7-6, after the top of the seventh inning was complete. Things continued to turn south for Western New England as the Golden Bears, who had a seven-run lead, would see that lead completely disappear on a single to right field to score a run in the top of the eighth off Andrew Melone. Jack Kane would then follow that up with a single through the right side of the diamond to give the Blue Jays an 8-7 lead. Western New England would get to runners on in the bottom of the eighth inning, a Bova would smack a single, while Ryan Montini would walk, but the next two Golden Bears would not be able to move runners over as WNE would still trail 8-7. In the ninth, Troy Donohue would pitch a quick inning while Western New England would need a rally to get their lead back. EJ Quint would come into the game and would pick up a single through the left side of the diamond, while Trey Young would walk, and Jack Gamache would produce a single to load the bases with just one out in the inning. The top two batters in the WNE lineup would be due up, but a strikeout by Kornacki and a fly ball out by Bova would end the game as USJ would storm all the way back from seven down to stun Western New England, 8-7. 

Inside the Lines:
  • The Western New England defense would cost them tremendously on the afternoon, producing five errors overall. 
  • John Bova led the WNE offense with three hits in five at-bats, collecting two RBIs overall. 
  • Leo Paragarino was the only other Golden Bear to pick up multiple hits in the game, going 2/4.
  • WNE left 13 players on base in the game overall. 
  • In the two games of the season series between WNE and USJ, Western New England committed nine errors. 
  • This is the first loss for WNE all-time against the Blue Jays. 
Up Next on the Schedule:
  • Western New England looks to wipe the slate clean with another non-conference game on Wednesday, April 23 at 3:30 PM against Clark University. 
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