AUBURNDALE, Fla. (March 13, 2026) – The Western New England baseball team collected a combined 16 hits in a seven-inning game to defeat the Beacons of UMass-Boston on Friday afternoon in the final game of the RussMatt Invitational in Florida. Kyle Cyr, Alex Grenier, and Leo Paragarino picked up three hits each to lead the WNE offense. 

Records:

• Western New England: 5-4
• UMass-Boston: 2-4

How it Happened:

Second Inning:

• Western New England's Connor Flynn started the game, going the first two innings overall, giving up just one hit while striking out one, holding the Beacons off the base paths early in the contest. 
• The Golden Bears had the game's first run, putting together three straight hits with two outs to get on the scoreboard. Alex Grenier led off with a single, followed by a Zach Drewry single, while Antonio Galizia's RBI double plated Grenier, giving the Golden Bears a 1-0 lead. 

Third Inning:

• Kyle Welsh filled in for the next two innings for the Golden Bears, picking up a strikeout to end the third inning, giving up just one hit. 
• In the bottom of the third frame, the Golden Bears added to their lead. Mark Zigmont led off with a double to left field, while Leo Paragarino picked up a single to put runners on the corners with no outs. Corey Kilroy plated both runners with a twp=RBI double to left field, giving the Golden Bears a 3-0 lead. Greg Nivison came through with an infield single with one out that scored Kilroy, after Kilroy moved to third on an SAC bunt by Tyler Kornacki. The Golden Bears picked up a 4-0 lead after three innings of play. 

Fourth Inning:

• Western New England broke the game open in the bottom of the fourth, plating eight total runs and six hits. Kyle Cyr began the hit parade for the Golden Bears, picking up a single to center field. Zigmont reached on a throwing error by the Beacons' pitcher on a sacrifice bunt, seeing runners each move up a base. Leo Paragarino then singled to center field to pick up an RBI, giving WNE a 5-0 lead. 
• Corey Kilroy continued to stay hot at the plate, adding another RBI to his total, picking up a single to score another WNE run. Tyler Kornacki's first hit of the game was an infield single, adding to WNE's lead that stood at 7-0. Western New England filled the bases after Nivison was hit by a pitch, while Alex Grenier cleared the bases with one swing, roping a bases-clearing double to left field, giving WNE a 10-0 lead. Western New England batted around the order in the inning, seeing Cyr deliver an RBI double that gave the Golden Bears a 12-0 lead, sending 13 Golden Bears to the plate in the frame. 

Fifth Inning:

• UMass-Boston's only run of the game came in the fifth inning when a miscue in the WNE infield eventually led to a run for the Beacons, seeing an error and a wild pitch move Nicolas Piscioniere to score the run for UMB. 

Sixth Inning:

• The Beacons threatened in the top of the sixth against Gabe Baber, who picked up one out, but issued two walks and a pair of wild pitches in the inning. Jason Pinsonnault came on in relief and needed seven pitches to collect a pair of strikeouts, leaving a pair of Beacons on base, escaping a jam. 
• The Golden Bears added to their lead one more time in the bottom of the inning, seeing Kyle Cyr deliver his third hit of the game and second RBI overall, giving the Golden Bears a 13-1 lead. 

Seventh Inning:

• Pinsonnault picked up two more strikeouts in the top of the seventh inning to close out the game, seeing Western New England come up with a 13-1 victory, avenging last season's 13-0 loss to the Beacons. 

Inside the Lines:

• Alex Grenier went 3/4 at the plate on Friday, scoring three runs and collecting three RBIs in the win. 
• Kyle Cyr delivered three hits, also in four at-bats, picking up two RBIs. 
• Leo Paragarino continued his tear at the dish, adding three more hits in three at-bats, collecting an RBI. 
• Corey Kilroy finished the game with a pair of hits and three RBIs. 
• All nine starters for the Golden Bears had at least one hit and eight of those nine scored at least one run. 
• Connor Flynn worked the opening two innings, giving up just two hits and striking out once. Kyle Welsh, who picked up the win, went the next two innings, giving up just one hit, one walk, and striking out four. Ryan Makowski, Gabe Baber, and Jason Pinsonnault followed for the Blue and Gold to finish out the victory. 

Up Next on the Schedule:

• Western New England returns home for a scheduled home game on Tuesday, March 17 at 3:00 PM against the University of Saint Joseph. Stay tuned for scheduling updates for this and every game throughout the season on http://wnegoldenbears.com/composite