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Western New England University

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SB 5.8.25
5
Endicott ENDICOTT 22-14
6
Winner Western New Eng. WESTERN 25-15-1
Endicott ENDICOTT
22-14
5
Final
6
Western New Eng. WESTERN
25-15-1
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Endicott ENDICOTT 3 0 1 0 1 0 0 5 7 1
Western New Eng. WESTERN 0 0 0 0 1 5 X 6 9 2

W: Picone, Evelyn (14-9) L: K. Beebe (9-3) S: Blanchard, Ava (1)

Game Recap: Softball |

A Comeback for the Ages: Salanto Hits Game-Winning Hit in Sixth Inning as Golden Bears Complete Third Consecutive CNE Postseason Tournament Comeback Victory

BEVERLY, Mass. (May 8, 2025) – The Golden Bears traveled to Beverly, Massachusetts, for the semifinal round of the double-elimination CNE postseason tournament. Endicott started the game with three runs in the first inning. They tacked on one in the third and one in the fifth to lead 5-0. WNE would answer with one run in the fifth inning and five in the sixth inning to complete the comeback victory for the third time in as many conference tournament games this year. Nicolina Salanto had the game-winning hit, and Ava Blanchard earned the save.

Game 1: Western New England

Endicott got the bats started quickly with three hits in the top of the first inning. With one out and runners on second and third, Elyse Saccoccio hit a single to left field to drive a run home. A second runner tried to score on the hit but was thrown out at home. Angelees Carrasquillo made the tag to get the runner out. Then, Paige Berdos followed that with a hit up the middle of the field for a single. That brought a second run home. Finally, Ella Tower reached first base on a fielding error, which brought a third run home with two outs. Riley Kane would get the final batter of the inning to ground out for Endicott, and WNE trailed 3-0 as they got ready for their first at-bat of the day. Jaylin Cuoto pitched for the Gulls and got the first two batters out. A single and a walk followed. However, Cuoto got the final batter to foul out, which moved the game to the second inning. Kane settled down in the second, getting the Gulls out one, two, three. Kane struck out the final Endicott batter of the second inning. Cuoto answered with the same bottom of the second but could not strike out a WNE batter. The Gulls extended their 3-0 lead in the top of the third. Ella Tower slapped a hit into left-center field for a single with two outs and two runners on base. Endicott led 4-0 after the runner reached home plate. Kane got the final batter out after that to strand two Gulls on base and keep the deficit at four. The Golden Bears saw a double in the third inning with one out. However, the Golden Bears could not get the runner home as Cuoto got the next two batters out. Kane would keep the Gulls' bats silent in the fourth with a three up, three down inning. The Golden Bears had three hits in a row in the bottom of the fourth, with one of the hits being a fielder's choice. Cuoto finished the inning with two consecutive outs, and the Golden Bears stranded two runners on base. In the fifth inning, Evelyn Picone entered as the WNE pitcher. Abby McClaflin led off the fifth inning for Endicott with a home run to left field. That added to their lead, and WNE trailed 5-0. Picone settled down and got the next three batters out, with the last batter looking at the third strike for another WNE strikeout. The top of the fifth saw two of the first three WNE batters draw a walk. With two outs, WNE would load the bases thanks to a walk. Alex Ferriouolo would drive home a run with a single to third base. Shea McDaniel scored, and WNE trailed 5-1 after Cuoto got the final batter out. Picone got the first two Endicott batters out in the sixth inning. After a walk, Picone struck out the final batter to bring the Golden Bears to the plate. The Golden Bears would get more runs in the sixth inning. Analise Grady entered the pitching circle for Endicott. WNE started the inning with two hits. Then, after a strikeout and a line out, Angelees Carrasquillo hit a single to right field. That brought Kim Baumann and Alyssa Poisson home. WNE trailed 5-3. After a WNE walk, Kristen Beebe entered the game for the Gulls. The Golden Bears would load the bases for Alex Ferriouolo with two outs. Ferriouolo hits a single to shortstop, and that brought a fourth run home; it was Carrasquillo. WNE trailed 5-4. The two-out rally continued when Nicolina Salanto singled to right field, driving Gracie Hemstock and Riley Kane home. WNE now had a 6-5 lead. Endicott got the final out of the inning after that and were down to their final three outs of the game. Ava Blanchard entered the game as the WNE pitcher looking for the save. Blanchard got the first batter out, saw the second batter reach first due to an error, but would get the third batter to fly out and struck out the game's final batter to secure another comeback win for WNE. WNE won the game 6-5 and advanced to the conference championship game on Saturday.

Around the Diamond:

  • The Golden Bears were led by a 2-for-4, two RBI performance from Nicolina Salanto, who had the game-winning single for WNE.
  • Eight Golden Bear batters recorded a hit.
  • Marley Rodriguez had the lone extra-base hit, which was a double.
  • The three Golden Bear pitchers combined for seven innings pitched, giving up seven hits and four earned runs and striking out four batters.
  • Abby McClaflin, Elyse Saccoccio, and Paige Berdos each had two hits and one RBI during the game to lead Endicott.
  • Abby McClaflin had the only extra-base hit for Endicott, a home run.
  • The Endicott pitchers let up nine hits and five earned runs while striking out two batters in six innings.
  • WNE defeated Endicott 6-5 to advance to the conference championship.

Up Next:

The WNE Golden Bear softball team will travel to Beverly, Massachusetts, for the conference championship game on Saturday, May 10, 2025, with the time and opponent to be announced.

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