CCC-Leading Golden Bears Earn Two Wins at Eastern Nazarene

Photo is courtesy of Western New England University

Junior Gabby Lavinio drives in five runs in the doubleheader sweep

QUINCY, Mass. – The Western New England University softball team continued to roll in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) play with a pair of victories over Eastern Nazarene College this afternoon at Mitchell/McCoy Field. The Golden Bears rallied late in game one en route to a 6-2 victory in eight innings, before posting a 5-0 triumph in game two.

With the doubleheader sweep, Western New England improves to 9-1 in CCC action (15-11 overall) and sits alone atop the conference standings. Eastern Nazarene falls to 5-5 in the CCC and 11-15 overall.

Western New England 6, Eastern Nazarene 2 (8 innings)
Western New England outhit Eastern Nazarene 13-2 in the opener, but still needed a late rally to force extra innings. After a scoreless seventh, the Golden Bears plated four runs in the top of the eighth and sophomore Sarah Broderick (Woodbury, Conn.) capped her impressive relief outing by retiring the side in order in the bottom half of the inning.

Trailing 2-1 after five innings, Western New England tied the score in the top of the sixth when junior Corianna DeLisi (Tuxedo, N.Y.) led off with a single before advancing to third on a double by senior McKenzie Pezze (Albany, N.Y.) and scoring on a sacrifice fly by freshman Allison Mishol (Longmeadow, Mass.).

Pezze then broke the 2-2 tie with an RBI single in the top of the eighth, and Mishol followed with a single through the left side of the infield, driving in her second run of the contest. Junior Gabby Lavinio (Dalton, Mass.) came up two batters later and gave the Golden Bears some insurance with a two-run single up the middle, scoring Mishol and Pezze.

Broderick earned the win (2-2) after pitching three innings without allowing a hit and striking out five batters. Junior Samantha DiGiovanni (Shirley, N.Y.) got the start in the circle and tossed five innings, giving up just one earned run on two hits.

Eastern Nazarene opened the scoring in the bottom of the first on freshman Lauren Clements' (Garrison, Tex.) RBI single, but Western New England pulled even in the top of the fourth when sophomore Jenn Luba (Plymouth, Conn.) came through with a two-out RBI single.

The Lions regained the lead in the bottom half of the inning, however, on freshman Lauren Weidler's (Lansdale, Pa.) solo homer, and they maintained their one-run edge until the sixth.

Western New England 5, Eastern Nazarene 0
Game two featured a pitcher's duel between Western New England senior Heidi Grieger (Hyde Park, N.Y.) and Eastern Nazarene sophomore Heidi Gomez (Floral Park, N.Y.) over the first four innings, as the two combined to give up just three hits.

The Golden Bears got to Gomez in the fifth, however, putting four runs on the board with five hits. Sophomore Lindsay Williams (Coventry, Conn.) broke the scoreless tie with an RBI single to right field, and Lavinio followed with a three-run homer to right center.

Western New England added another run the next inning on Mishol's RBI double, and Grieger allowed just one hit over the final two frames as the Golden Bears completed the sweep.

Grieger turned in one of her best efforts of the season, surrendering just four hits and no runs over a complete game effort to improve to 9-5 this season. The senior, who has been victorious in seven of her last eight appearances in the circle, also contributed a hit at the plate.

All nine members of Western New England's batting order reached base in the game, and eight Golden Bears recorded a hit in the victory.