SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Lauren Zambrano and Heidi Grieger combined on a perfect game to help pace the Western New England softball team to an 11-0 win in the first game of a Commonwealth Coast Conference doubleheader, while the Golden Bears fended off a rally attempt by Wentworth in the nightcap in a 15-7 win
In game one Zambrano started in the circle and improved to 6-7 on the season after striking out eight in three innings before Grieger threw the final two frames and recorded one strikeout.
Jocelyn Agnelli joined Zambrano with two hits apiece as WNE churned out 10.
Western New England jumped all over the Leopards in the bottom of the very first inning with five runs on four hits, two errors and three walks while sending 12 batters to the plate. Zambrano provided all the offense with a RBI single, Heather Fecteau had a two-run double down the left field line, and Agnelli capped it with a run-scoring single to left field.
The Golden Bears broke it open with four more runs in the next frame and never looked back.
Grieger provided some offense in her lone at-bat of the contest with her first career home run, with one runner aboard, over the fence in left-center to cap the scoring in the fourth.
Western New England scored a season-high 15 runs in the nightcap, including nine in bottom of the second inning for an 11-1 cushion, scoring in all but the third.
Hannah Hill was one of four Golden Bears with two hits, including a double, as well as junior Avery Clark, sophomore McKenzie Pezze off the bench, and freshman Ashley Walch.
Liz Glavin (Ipswich, Mass.) paced Wentworth by going 2-for-3 with a run scored and three runs batted in. Karsyn Sawyer (Chatham, N.Y.) and Paige Mochi (Cambridge, Mass.) added two hits apiece for the Leopards, who took a 1-0 lead on Mochi's single through the right side in the first inning.
The Golden Bears, however, took the lead for good with two runs in its bottom half. Senior tri-captain Katie Eckert had a RBI-single to left field and Fecteau later scored on a wild pitch.
Western New England took command in the second as Walch scored on a throwing error on a force play at home to spark the big, nine-run inning that included only three hits, two errors and six walks. The Golden Bears sent 14 batters to the plate in the frame.
The Leopards clawed back within 11-7 with a run in the third and five more in the fourth. Glavin highlighted the multi-run inning with a double to left-center that knocked home three runs.
Western New England steps out of conference play on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. when the Golden Bears travel to Hartford, Conn., to take on Trinity College in a doubleheader. Wentworth is at Curry on Wednesday for a 3:30 p.m. CCC twinbill that is set to begin at the same time.
(Recap courtesy of Western New England Sports Information)
