Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

BIDDEFORD, Maine -- First-year Sarah Lempicki (Planstville, Conn.) had a pair of hits in the first game and pitched a five-hitter with 11 strikeouts in the nightcap to lead Western New England College to a 6-2, 8-2 sweep of the University of New England in The Commonwealth Coast Conference softball action Sunday afternoon at Claude Dubois Field.

With the pair of victories, the Golden Bears (20-9, 11-3 TCCC) reach the 20-win mark for the 10th consecutive season.  The Nor'easters (19-10-1, 10-9-1) saw their six-game win streak come to an end.

WNEC got off to a quick start in the opener, scoring twice in the top of the second and three more times in the third.  The Golden Bears capitalized on three UNE errors in the two innings to plate four unearned runs.  Sophomore Elyse Gauvin (Swansea, Mass.) had a two-run double in the third.

Gauvin, Lempicki, sophomore Trish Breault (Millville, Mass.) and junior Kate Post (Bridgewater, Mass.) each had two hits in Western New England's 12-hit attack.  Senior Brittany DeGennaro (Orange, Conn.) knocked in a pair with a double and groundout.

Senior Laura Bower (Hudson, Mass.) went the first five innings to pick up the win and run her record to 8-5.  She allowed four hits and struck out four.  Junior Vic Lospinuso (West Islip, N.Y.) worked the final two innings.

For the Nor'easters, junior Lauren Webb (Jericho, Vt.) had a pair of hits, including an RBI double in the fifth.

The pitching of Lempicki was the story in the second game, as the rookie recorded eight strikeouts in the first three innings.

The Golden Bears provided her with all the offense she would need by breaking up a scoreless game with five runs on just one hit in the top of the fourth inning.  WNEC took advantage of two errors and a passed ball, but the key blow was a two-run triple by Post, whose shot down the right field line bounced out of UNE right fielder Julie Monteiro's glove as she tried to make a diving catch.

UNE cut the deficit to 5-2 in the home half of the inning on run-scoring singles by junior Angie Damon (Scarborough, Maine) and first-year Ashley Gott (Winterport, Maine).  The Nor'easters were unable to push across any further runs as Lempicki closed the door the rest of the way.

Post finished with three hits, while Breault, DeGennaro and Gauvin added two apiece.  WNEC stranded a total of 13 runners, but benefitted from six UNE errors to score five unearned runs.

Gott had two hits for the Nor'easters, who play a single game at Bowdoin College on Tuesday (3:30 p.m.).

The Golden Bears head to Gordon College that same day for a TCCC twinbill with Gordon College.  First pitch is slated for 3:30 p.m.