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Western New England University

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SB 3.8.26
2
Winner WNE SOFTBALL 1-0
1
Penn St. Brandywine PSWSB 1-4
Winner
WNE SOFTBALL
1-0
2
Final
1
Penn St. Brandywine PSWSB
1-4
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
WNE SOFTBALL 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 6 1
Penn St. Brandywine PSWSB 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 0

W: Kane, Riley (1-0) L: April Lewandowski (1-1)

2
Hood HOOD 0-6
10
Winner Western New Eng. WESTERN 2-0
Hood HOOD
0-6
2
Final
10
Western New Eng. WESTERN
2-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
Hood HOOD 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 4 4
Western New Eng. WESTERN 0 4 0 1 0 5 10 14 0

W: Cardona, Brianna (1-0) L: Sydney Weaver (0-3)

Game Recap: Softball |

Top-Notch Pitching and Rodriguez’s First Home Run of the Season Lifts Golden Bears to 2-0 Start, Wins 150 and 151 of Coach Novak’s WNE Coaching Career

CLERMONT, FL. (March 8, 2026) – The Golden Bears started off their 2026 season with The Spring Games in Florida on Sunday. They would take both games versus Penn State University-Brandywine and Hood College. Riley Kane held PSU-Brandywine to one run to earn the 2-1 victory in game one, and a 3-run blast from Marley Rodriguez would lift WNE to a 10-2 victory versus Hood College.

Game One:
Score:
Western New England: 2
Penn State University-Brandywine: 1

How it Happened:
First Inning:
  • Both Riley Kane and April Lewandowski started the game by facing four batters, with neither letting up a run and Kane earning her first strikeout of the season.
Second Inning:
  • Lewandowski would strike out two Golden Bears in the second, while Kane would face four batters, getting three out.
Third Inning:
  • Lewandowski kept up the great start with two more strikeouts versus four Golden Bears. Kane matched that with two strikeouts but only saw three batters.
Fourth Inning:
  • Another two-strikeout inning for Lewandowski kept the pitching battle going between the two teams. Kane would sit PSU-Brandywine down one, two, three in the bottom of the inning, picking up another strikeout.
Fifth Inning:
  • Lewandowski kept the Golden Bears guessing with two more strikeouts versus three batters, while Brandywine got two base-runners on for the first time versus Kane. However, they could not capitalize, and the scorer stayed stuck at zero.
Sixth Inning:
  • WNE would get on the scoreboard first thanks to a Riley Kane RBI groundout, which brought Shea McDaniel home. WNE led 1-0.
  • Payton McDaniel would then pinch hit for WNE and knock in Marley Rodriguez with a single up the middle of the infield. That was McDaniel's first single and first RBI of her Golden Bear career. WNE led 2-0.
  • Brandywine would answer, though. Ava Rodgers doubled and brought home a run to cut the lead to 2-1 with two outs left in the sixth. Kane would get the final out to limit the damage to one run.
Seventh Inning:
  • The Golden Bears had a runner on the seventh, but the runner was caught stealing by catcher Shelby DeCillis to keep the deficit at one going into the bottom of the inning.
  • Kane dealt with Brandywine one, two, three to end the game and help WNE pick up their first win of 2026 and coach Amanda Novak's 150th win of her WNE coaching career.
Inside the Diamond:
  • WNE defeated PSU-Brandywine 2-1 to open the season.
  • Marley Rodriguez led the Golden Bears at the plate by going 2-3 with a double.
  • Riley Kane led WNE from the pitching circle by pitching seven innings, letting up two hits, one run, two walks, and striking out six batters.
  • April Lewandowski collected ten strikeouts in the Brandywine loss.
  • WNE's Olivia Lugo and Payton McDaniel both picked up their first career Golden Bear hits in the win.
  • This win marks the 150th win for head coach Amanda Novak.
Game Two:
Score: Final/6
Western New England: 10
Hood College: 2

How it Happened:
First Inning:
  • Briana Cardona got her first start of 2026 in game two of the day. Cardona struck out one in the first to get her on the board for strikeouts in the new season.
  • WNE threatened to score early with runners on first and third, but Sydney Weaver would get out of the inning with a fly out after collecting two strikeouts.
Second Inning:
  • The Golden Bears had an exciting second inning as Briana Cardona sat the Blazers down in order, picking up a second strikeout, and then the offense started to click.
  • It started with a Keira Czarkowski single, which drove Katelyn Bailey home. WNE led 1-0. Then, Marley Rodriguez launched a three-run home run over the fence, and WNE had a 4-0 lead after the second.
Third Inning:
  • Cardona would see three batters and get all three out in the third, picking up another strikeout.
  • Weaver would struggle a little, loading the bases with two walks towards the end of the inning, but would get out of the jam. Weaver struck out two Golden Bears during the inning to keep the Blazer deficit at four.
Fourth Inning:
  • The fourth inning saw the Blazers get their first hit versus Cardona, but Cardona would end the inning with a strikeout to keep that strikeout per inning streak going.
  • Evelyn Picone then added to WNE's lead with a double to center field, which drove Angelees Carrasquillo home. WNE led 5-0.
Fifth Inning:
  • The Blazers would get on the board in the fifth thanks to a groundout from Gabby Carton, which drove Kara Heidlauf home, and a single from Lizzie McConnell, which brought Sam Larkin home. WNE led 5-2. Cardona would get one last strikeout before first year Kaylin Heffern relieved her for Heffern's first time taking the pitching circle for WNE.
  • Weaver would keep the deficit at three through the fifth with three outs versus four batters.
Sixth Inning:
  • Heffern dealt with four batters and got three out without letting up a run in the sixth, and then WNE's offense started up again.
  • Nicolina Salanto would single to right field in the bottom of the sixth, and Riley Kane would score on an error by the catcher. WNE led 6-2. Then, Katelyn Bailey earned an RBI with a single, driving Salanto home. WNE led 7-2.
  • Ava Barnhart then tripled, driving Bailey and Heffern home to extend the WNE lead to 9-2. Finally, Katherine Brooks would single on a bunt towards third base, driving home Ava Barnhart to end the game at 10-2.
Inside the Diamond:
  • WNE defeated Hood College 10-2 in six innings.
  • Katelyn Bailey led WNE from the plate with a 3-for-3 day, earning one RBI.
  • Marley Rodriguez, Ava Barnhart, and Evelyn Picone all had extra-base hits. Rodriguez had the first WNE home run of the season, and Barnhart had the first WNE triple of the season. Rodriguez led WNE with three RBIs.
  • Joining Barnhart, Rodriguez, and Bailey with over two hits was Nicolina Salanto.
  • Kaylin Heffern picked up a first career Golden Bear hit in the win, as well.
  • Brianna Cardona earned a first-career Golden Bear win with 4.2 innings pitched, three hits, two earned runs, one walk, and six strikeouts.
Up Next on the Schedule:
  • WNE will get ready for another doubleheader on Monday, March 8, 2026, at 10:00 AM and 12:30 PM at Fortune Road Athletic Complex in Kissimmee, Florida. They will take on Ohio Northern University in game one and Russell Sage University in game two.
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