BEVERLY, Mass. (April 25, 2026) – WNE's Softball earned a big split with the Gulls of Endicott College on Saturday afternoon in Beverly, MA. The Golden Bears came up a run shy of extending game one after falling behind 4-0 in the third inning. However,
Kaylin Heffern would step in and shut the Gulls out for most of game two, leading to a 5-2 victory also fueled by a
Katelyn Bailey home run and a
Riley Kane two-RBI single.
Game One:
Score:
- Western New England: 3
- Endicott College: 4
How it Happened:
First Inning:
- Early on, it was Kristen Beebe's game as she struck out two Golden Bears to open the contest. Riley Kane responded by seeing one runner reach base, but no runs scored.
Second Inning:
- Beebe kept the pressure on with back-to-back-to-back strikeouts. Catherine Seay would reward Beebe on the offensive end by scoring before Vania Moniz could get caught stealing to gift the Gulls a 1-0 lead.
Third Inning:
- WNE had runners on the corners after forcing the Gulls to make a change at pitcher and go to Emma Sheehan. However, Sheehan would work out of the pinch by striking out the final Golden Bear batter of the third.
- The Gulls extended their lead in the third via a Kylyn McLaren double, driving Abby McClaflin and Ava Kelley home. McClaren would score after a single from Maddie Bailey forced a throwing error. Endicott led 4-0 after three innings of play.
Fourth and Fifth Innings:
- The fourth saw both pitchers control the contest, not allowing a single hit. However, the Golden Bears were able to get on the board in the fifth thanks to a Shea McDaniel single, which scored Katelyn Bailey. WNE's deficit was 4-1, which Kane kept by sitting the Gulls down in order in the bottom of the inning.
Sixth Inning:
- Katherine Brooks then homered to open the sixth inning, cutting the Gulls' deficit to 4-2. Analise Grady then entered the pitching circle, looking to earn the save for Endicott. Grady got the next three outs to get out of the top half of the inning. The home team earned a hit but no runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Seventh Inning:
- WNE scored a run at the very end of the seventh on a Shea McDaniel single, scoring Mia Marigliano, but McDaniel got thrown out at second, and that ended the game with Endicott just barely hanging on to a 4-3 win.
Inside the Diamond:
- Endicott narrowly defeated WNE 4-3 in game one.
- Shea McDaniel had a 2-for-2 with a walk and two RBIs performance in game one to lead WNE at the plate.
- Kaelyn Bailey earned WNE a double, and Katherine Brooks earned the visitors their fifth home run of the season.
- Five separate Gulls had a hit in game one, but Kylyn McClaren earned two RBIs with a double to lead the home squad.
- Emma Sheehan earned the win for the Gulls with four strikeouts and two earned runs given up in 2.2 innings pitched.
- Analise Grady pitched two innings, striking out two batters and giving up one earned run to pick up a sixth save of the season.
Game Two:
Score:
- Western New England: 5
- Endicott College: 2
How it Happened:
First Inning:
- Katelyn Bailey got game two off to a good start for WNE, hitting a solo home run with two outs in the inning. WNE led 1-0. Kaylin Heffern then started her great afternoon with a one, two, three inning, striking out one batter.
Second Inning:
- The second inning saw neither team add a run to the scoreboard. Heffern continued to excel with three more outs in a row.
Third Inning:
- WNE found more success and a second run in the third inning. Nicolina Salanto drew a walk with the bases loaded and a new pitcher, Rania Barton, in the pitching circle. WNE led 2-0. Heffern could not be stopped in the bottom of the third, earning three outs quickly to hold the two-run lead.
Fourth Inning:
- The fourth saw Endicott turn a double play before Heffern saw trouble for the first time all day in the bottom of the inning. A walk and a hit batter saw two runners on base, with two outs. Heffern got the next batter to pop out on the second pitch of the at-bat, and WNE was out of the inning.
Fifth Inning:
- The fifth inning belonged to WNE once again. After a dropped foul ball gave Marley Rodriguez new life and a single, the two Golden Bears behind her in the order would follow suit and get on base.
- With the bases loaded, Riley Kane launched a two-RBI single, scoring Brooks and Rodriguez. WNE led 4-0. Two batters later, Angeleez Carrasquillo grounded out, but scored Bailey, and WNE's lead was five.
- Endicott earned their first hit of the day against Heffern in the bottom of the fifth, but they would not score, and Heffern's scoreless start continued.
Sixth Inning:
- The sixth saw a single from WNE, but no runs were scored by either team. Heffern continued the one-hit effort, and the Gulls were down to their final three outs.
Seventh Inning:
- The seventh saw Alexa Gillis enter the game for the Gulls and sit WNE down one, two, three. Endicott was then able to finally get a run versus Heffern in the bottom of the inning. Catherine Seay singled with runners on first and second, to worry WNE fans.
- However, Heffern would get the next out and, with the bases loaded, would see Ava Kelley hit into a fielder's choice for the second out before getting the final batter to line out to center field and end the game. Kelley's fielder's choice hit did bring home a run, but WNE still won 5-2.
Inside the Diamond:
- WNE stole game two from Endicott, with a 5-2 victory.
- Six different Golden Bears earned hits in game two.
- Katelyn Bailey had the only extra-base hit for WNE in the game, a solo home run in the first inning. Riley Kane led WNE with two RBIs.
- Endicott only earned two hits versus Heffern. Catherine Seay had two of the hits and an RBI.
- Kaylin Heffern picked up her fourth win of the season with a three-hit, one earned run, three-strikeout performance.
Up Next:
WNE is back in action at home on Sunday, April 26, 2026, at noon and 2:00 PM on the diamond at Golden Bear Softball Park. They will host the Johnson & Wales University Wildcats.
