Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 CLERMONT, Fla. (March 14, 2026) – The Western New England softball team struggled to find offense on Saturday morning in its final two games of
The Spring Games, falling to No. 14 Simpson College 5-0, followed by a 10-0 shutout against the University of Wisconsin-Stout.
Records:
- Western New England: 4-8
- No. 14 Simpson College: 7-0
- University of Wisconsin-Stout: 7-4
How it Happened (vs. Simpson College):
Second Inning:
- The Golden Bears had the best chance to score in the top of the second inning, as Nicolina Salanto reached on an error in the Simpson infield, and Riley Kane roped a double into the gap in the outfield, putting runners on second and third with no outs. Western New England put two balls in play, an Evelyn Picone flyout and a popout from Alyssa Ferriouolo, ending the WNE threat.
- Kane worked a quick two innings, needing just 14 pitches to get six outs, sitting the Simpson bats early.
Third Inning:
- The Storm led off the bottom of the third inning with a single up the middle of the field from Makayla Fowler, while a pair of groundouts sent the runners to third with two outs. With Simpson's top of the order due up, Ashlyn Steen reached on an infield hit and stole second base, putting a pair of runners in scoring position, but Kane and the Golden Bears escaped the jam, getting Gracie Bruening to ground out to Ferriouolo at shortstop, seeing the game remain tied after three innings.
Fourth Inning:
- Riley Kane continued to do it all for the Golden Bears, both offensively and in the circle. Kane picked up her second hit of the game in the top of the fourth inning with two outs, this time singling to center field to put a runner on base with two outs. Western New England couldn't continue the hit parade as the inning ended with Simpson's Emma LaFave's fifth strikeout of the day.
- As they did in the bottom of the third, the Storm led off the fourth with a single and advanced the runner to second on a sacrifice bunt to put the runner in scoring position with one out. Kane was able to get a flyout and a groundout to end the inning, keeping the 14th-ranked team in Division III off the scoreboard through four innings, giving up just two hits.
Fifth Inning:
- Western New England threatened again in the top of the fifth inning, seeing a pair of hits come from Shea McDaniel and Katherine Brooks, both with two outs, but the Golden Bears couldn't crack the scoreboard. Simpson went down in order in the bottom of the fifth inning, grounding out, striking out, and popping out to end the inning.
Sixth Inning:
- With two outs in the top of the inning, Riley Kane reached for the third time in the game, taking advantage of an error. The Golden Bears couldn't move Kane up a base, as the senior stood stranded on first.
- It was only a matter of time before the Storm would come around and score, and they did in the bottom of the sixth inning as Ashlyn Steen led off with a single, stole second, and scored on an RBI triple from Gracie Bruening, giving Simpson a 1-0 lead. Mackenzie James doubled on the next at-bat, scoring another run, giving the Storm a 2-0 lead. The inning began to unravel for the Golden Bears, as Simpson found its stride and added two more runs to take a 5-0 lead after six innings.
Seventh Inning:
- Shea McDaniel had WNE's lone hit in the top of the seventh, not enough to overcome the late offense from Simpson, falling by a final score of 5-0.
Inside the Lines:
- Western New England's best chance to score came in the second inning, coming away with two runners in scoring position with no outs, but could not deliver any run support.
- Both Riley Kane and Shea McDaniel notched a pair of hits for the Golden Bears in the loss. Kane also tossed six innings in the circle, giving up nine hits and four earned runs while striking out one.
- Simpson's five-run sixth inning was all they needed to pick up the win, collecting seven hits in the frame after being held to two in the previous five.
How It Happened (vs. University of Wisconsin-Stout):
Second Inning:
- Western New England struggled to find offense on the day, as their slow start against Simpson carried over to the contest against Stout, who lit up the scoreboard early and never looked back. Abbey Dusterhoft singled for Stout to bring home Sarah Wilkins, giving the Blue Devils a 1-0 lead. Brianna Cardona made the start in the circle and ended up giving up four runs in the inning as Payton Dolecki and Rayni Bresnahan picked up RBIs in the inning, giving Stout a 4-0 lead after the top of the second.
- Western New England went down in order in the first and second innings, not able to respond to the Blue Devils' early onslaught.
Third Inning:
- Stout blasted a home run with a pair of runners on base in the top of the third inning, seeing Elly Holden go yard to plate three more, giving the Blue Devils a 7-0 lead.
Fourth Inning:
- Stephanie Kuhn followed with a home run in the top of the fourth inning that gave the Blue Devils a commanding 9-0 lead. WNE couldn't find the strike zone in the inning, seeing both Kaylin Heffern and Evelyn Picone struggle in the circle, leading to a 10-0 lead for Wisconsin-Stout after the top of the fourth inning.
- Olivia Lugo had WNE's first hit in the bottom of the fourth inning, but WNE could not string together any hits or runs, trailing by ten after four innings.
Fifth Inning:
- Western New England picked up two hits in the bottom of the fifth inning, as Riley Kane led off with a double, followed by a single from Kaitlyn Bailey, both with no outs, but Western New England was held off the scoreboard, seeing the game come to an end with a 10-0 score.
Inside the Lines:
- Western New England had just three hits in the game, while the WNE pitching gave up ten hits and ten runs, all earned.
- After starting the Spring Break trip with four wins in seven games, WNE dropped its final five of the trip and return to New England with a 4-8 record.
Up Next on the Schedule:
- The Golden Bears are scheduled to open their home schedule on Wednesday, March 18, at Golden Bear Softball Park. Stay tuned for updates in the coming days.
