Cherry’s Complete Game Effort Leads Western New England to Split with Nichols

Recap by, courtesy by Western New England University's Stephen Romano, Athletic Communications Student Assistant 
Junior Dan Morin drives in four runs in opener
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (April 24, 2016) – The Western New England University baseball team split a Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) doubleheader with Nichols College this afternoon at Trelease Park. The Golden Bears utilized a complete game effort from senior righthander David Cherry (Southbury, Conn.) and a 12-hit attack to take the opener, 10-2, before falling 6-3 in game two.

Western New England 10, Nichols, 2
Cherry tossed a gem in the opener, scattering five hits while fanning eight batters and allowing only
one earned run to improve to 5-1 this season. Complementing Cherry's performance, Western New England's bats produced ten runs on 12 hits, led by seniors Kevin Marciano (Pepperell, Mass.) and Eduardo Colmenares (Caracas, Venezuela) who totaled three hits apiece.

Western New England gave Cherry all the run support he would need in the third inning, taking a 3-1 lead on an RBI single by Colmenares and a two-run single off the bat of senior Daniel Morin (Salem, N.H.).

The Bison's ability to contain the Golden Bears' bats unraveled late in the game, when Western New England scored three runs in the fifth inning and four more in the sixth.

In the fifth inning, Colmenares poked a single through the left side of the infield, scoring senior Doug Milne (Nesconset, N.Y.) to give the Golden Bears a 4-2 lead. Milne went 1-for-3, driving in two runs, and crossing the plate twice.

With two on and one out, Morin scored Marciano—who reached on a single—on a deep sacrifice fly to right field.  Freshman Erik Lacaire (Worcester, Mass.) added to the Golden Bears' lead, lacing a single to right, which scored Colmenares and put Western New England up 6-2.

Cherry turned in a 1-2-3 sixth inning, and the Golden Bear offense tacked on four more runs in the bottom half of the inning, highlighted by Milne's two-run single.

Cherry retired the side in order again in the seventh, sealing the game one victory for Western New England.

Sophomores Ross Caswell (Randolph, Vt.) and Nick Roy (Middletown, Conn.) led the way for the Bison, collecting two hits each.

Nichols 6, Western New England 3
Nichols starter Vincent Amato (Brooklyn, N.Y.) pitched six innings in the second game, only allowing two earned runs, while scattering eight hits. As Amato kept the Golden Bears' bats in check, the Bison totaled 11 hits—four of which helped the visitors score three runs in the third and take a lead they would not relinquish.

The Bison opened the inning with three straight singles from Nick Osma (Babylon, N.Y.), Tim Ford (Stafford Spring, Conn.), and Brendan Martin (Nashua, N.H). With the bases loaded, Cam Cook (Phoenixville, P.A.) lined a two-run single to right field, and then Matt Hardy (North Attleboro, Mass.) grounded out, scoring Martin.

Although the Golden Bears struggled to score, they did collect nine hits. Freshman Alex Loparco (Riverside, Conn.), senior Scott Hubener (Mendon, Mass.), Morin and Marciano tallied two hits each. Hubener also drove in two of Western New England's three runs with RBI singles in the fourth and sixth innings.