SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (April 26, 2026) – The Golden Bears returned to Springfield for a doubleheader with the CNE fourth-place Wildcats of Johnson & Wales University. The Wildcats earned the game one win with a four-run fourth inning, and although the Golden Bears jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in game two, the Wildcats would storm back and win the second contest 6-3, as well.
Game One:
Score:
- Western New England: 2
- Johnson & Wales University: 5
How it Happened:
First Inning:
- Riley Kane started the game exactly how the team would have planned it. Kane earned nine consecutive outs to start, and it all started with three in the first. That was followed by a double to left field, which hit the bottom of the fence.
- Kane's double brought Evelyn Picone home, and WNE led 1-0 before Kane got thrown out at third, trying to stretch a triple.
Second and Third Innings:
- Neither team could find a run in the second or third innings. Only one batter was able to get on base via an error.
Fourth Inning:
- The Wildcats would find their bats in the fourth inning. A couple of bunts got the first two batters on base. Then, with the bases loaded after a fielder's choice error, Ashley Bergeron singled to shallow center field to bring Jadyn Torres home.
- Then, Morgan Pelletier singled and drove Jessica Forneiro home to give the Wildcats a one-run lead. Chloe Brunelle would slap a single down the right-field line and drive both Bergeron and Lyons home to extend the lead to 4-1 before an out was recorded. The Golden Bears had a hit but no runs in the bottom of the inning, and the Wildcats' lead stood.
Fifth Inning:
- The fifth was a quiet inning compared to the fourth. Kane sat down the Wildcats one, two, three in the top of the inning. Jill Reed would keep the Golden Bears off the scoreboard, too, in the bottom of the inning.
Sixth Inning:
- The sixth saw both teams grab a run. JWU extended their lead with Hailey Cardiello hitting into a fielder's choice to score Chloe Brunelle. Then, after getting two runners on without an out, WNE saw Marley Rodriguez score on a sacrifice fly from Riley Kane. The JWU lead was 5-2 with three more outs for the Golden Bears.
Seventh Inning:
- The seventh saw Kane do her job in the pitching circle to give the Golden Bears an opportunity, down three runs, to extend the game or win it. Reed got the first two batters out before a Nicolina Salanto single extended the game by a batter. However, that was all the hit would extend the game by. JWU took game one, 5-2.
Inside the Diamond:
- The Golden Bears dropped game one to the Wildcats, 5-2.
- The Wildcats saw Morgan Pelletier lead the team from the plate, with a 2-for-3 and one RBI performance.
- Six different Wildcats collected at least one hit in game one.
- Marley Rodriguez and Riley Kane both went 2-for-3 for the Golden Bears. Kane earned both RBIs for WNE and hit a double.
- Jill Reed earned the win for JWU, pitching seven innings, letting up two earned runs, and striking out four batters.
Game Two:
Score:
- Western New England: 3
- Johnson & Wales University: 6
How it Happened:
First Inning:
Second Inning:
- The Wildcats got two runs back in the top of the second thanks to a Jadyn Torres double. Olivia Mason and Gabby Bellemore scored before Heffern got out of the inning a batter later. Brianna Ghilardi would then settle the Golden Bear bats in the bottom of the inning.
Third Inning:
- Brianna Cardona would start the third in the pitching circle for WNE. The Wildcats tied the contest after the pitching change, with a Morgan Pelletier double. Mady Lyons scored on the hit, and the score was 3-3. WNE got two batters on base in the bottom of the inning, but could not score.
Fourth Inning:
- JWU scored for a third consecutive inning with a third double. It was Mady Lyons who drove Jessica Forneiro home. Again, the Golden Bears could not get a run as Madi Wong entered the game for JWU and kept WNE scoreless after their opening three runs in the first.
Fifth Inning:
- The fifth saw a hit from each team, but neither one could grab a run, and the game went to the final two innings with a 4-3 scoreline.
Sixth Inning:
- The sixth saw the Wildcats extend their lead by two more runs. Ashley Bergeron slapped a shot at shortstop, where it was fielded and thrown to first for the out. However, Jadyn Torres scored.
- Morgan Pelletier would then reach base thanks to an error, scoring Jessica Forneiro, and JWU had a 6-3 lead that they would take into the seventh after the Golden Bears could not score in the bottom of the inning.
Seventh Inning:
- The seventh saw no runs for the Wildcats. The Golden Bears did not go away without a fight, though. They got two runners on base with a single out before Jill Reed entered the game and got the final two outs to secure the 6-3 win for JWU.
Inside the Diamond:
- The Wildcats swept the Golden Bears with a game two win, 6-3
- Jadyn Torres went 3-for-5, with two RBIs, to lead JWU to the game-two victory.
- Jessica Forneiro and Gabby Bellemore also had multi-hit games for JWU.
- Four Golden Bears had two-hit performances, with Keira Czarkowski having the lone extra-base hit for WNE.
- Madi Wong earned the win for JWU with a four-hit, no-earned runs pitching performance for the Wildcats.
- Jill Reed earned the first save of the season for the Wildcats.
Up Next:
The Golden Bears will hit the road for their final nonconference doubleheader of the season. They will travel to Willimantic, Connecticut, for a meeting with the Warriors of Eastern Connecticut State University on Thursday, April 30, 2026, at 4:30 PM and 6:30 PM.
