Box Score

BEVERLY, Mass. -- Western New England scored five times in the third inning to build a 7-0 lead, and held off a late threat from the University of New England to advance in The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC) Softball Championship with a 7-4 victory Saturday morning at Endicott College.

The second-seeded Golden Bears (27-16) move on to face No. 1 Endicott College this afternoon, for the right to gain the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship.

The Nor'easters (27-17) -- the No. 4 seed -- drop out of the tourney and will await word on a possible selection to the ECAC New England Championship, which will be released Monday.

WNE already had two runs on the board from the second inning when Trish Breault notched a leadoff double to right-center to start things in the third. A one-out single to right by Rachel Wywra made it 3-0, and after an error and a walk, UNE recorded the second out of the inning on a force play at home. Elyse Gauvin and Angela Monaco followed with singles -- the second of the day for each -- and the margin increased to 6-0. Laura Madaio added one more in the frame, putting a base hit through the right side to score Gauvin.

The Nor'easters got one back in the top half of the fifth, on back-to-back doubles from senior Stephanie Podolski (Coventry, Conn.) and junior Marie Mantelli (Thompson, Conn.).

In the bottom of the sixth, the Golden Bears looked to pad the cushion after singles to left by Madaio and Breault started the inning, but three quick outs shut down the scoring chance.

Big Blue sophomore Erin Grover (Biddeford, Maine) began the seventh with a base hit to left, and moved to second on Podolski's second hit of the game. Mantelli came up next, and ripped a drive just inside the left field foul pole for her sixth home run of the season, drawing the Nor'easters to within three (7-4). An infield error put a runner on first, but a line-out turned into a double play all but ended the comeback attempt.

Sarah Lempicki earned the win for Western New England, giving up eight hits and walking one while striking out four. Wyrwa finished with two hits in the contest -- one of five players to do so.

For UNE, junior Erin Lyons (Salem, N.H.) surrendered four hits and two walks in 2.2 innings, before senior Amber Zablowsky (Rochester, Mass.) finished off the last 3.1, allowing six hits against one strike out.


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