SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (April 1, 2026) – The Golden Bears welcomed their Springfield neighbors to WNE for what was supposed to be a doubleheader, but after poor weather rolled in during game one, it turned into a single game. A game that WNE would take 1-0 thanks to superb pitching from
Riley Kane and a
Marley Rodriguez single in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Game One:
Score: Final/5 (Ended early due to weather)
- Western New England: 1
- Springfield College: 0
How it Happened:
First Inning:
- Springfield was sat down one, two, three to start the game. WNE kept the momentum going with a double to lead the game off. However, nobody could drive the runner home, and the score stayed tied at 0-0.
Second Inning:
- The second was nearly the same as the first inning, as Kane would get Springfield out in order and WNE would get a runner on base, but no runs scored.
Third Inning:
- The third saw a runner get on base for both teams, but neither team could find a way to score, and the scoreboard would read 0-0 after the third.
Fourth Inning:
- Springfield had a runner on third with two outs. However, Kane got the final better of the inning to ground out. The Golden Bears could not score in the fourth despite getting a runner on base to start the inning once again.
Fifth Inning:
- The final inning, due to weather, saw Kane pick up a third one, two, three inning before a Marley Rodriguez single drove Ava Barnhart home and WNE took a 1-0 lead.
- The inning would conclude, and the teams would play after the field was briefly tarped. However, due to poor field conditions with the weather still causing issues, the teams ended the contest, and the score reverted to the 1-0 lead WNE had, which meant they earned the win.
Inside the Diamond:
- WNE defeated Springfield 1-0 in five innings.
- WNE was led by a 2-for-3 effort from Marley Rodriguez at the plate, with a double and the game-winning RBI.
- Riley Kane and Ava Barnhart had the two other hits for WNE. Barnhart had the other double for WNE.
- Riley Kane pitched a five-inning, no-hitter versus Springfield to earn the 1-0 win. Kane had two strikeouts in the win.
Up Next:
WNE will travel to Boston, MA, for their next doubleheader conference contests. They will take on the Wentworth Institute of Technology at noon and 2:00 PM on Carr Diamond.
