Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
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BIDDEFORD, Maine -- Sophomore Heather Fecteau (Biddeford, Maine) had a bases-clearing double to fuel a five-run seventh inning, as Western New England rallied for a 7-5 win over University of New England in the second game of a Commonwealth Coast Conference doubleheader Sunday afternoon (April 6) at Claude Dubois Field.

First-year Sydney Helmbrecht (Grand Rapids, Minn.) had two hits and three RBI to back a complete-game effort by sophomore Abby Lambert (Brockton, Mass.) in UNE's 4-1 victory in the opener.

Trailing 5-2 heading into their final at-bat of game two, the Golden Bears exploded for five runs to rally for victory. A pinch-hit single by sophomore Alexis Bukowski (Wallingford, Conn.) made the score 5-3, then after WNE loaded the bases, Fecteau roped a liner to the left-center gap to plate three and give the visitors the lead (6-5) for good. Western New England would add an insurance run with senior Maria Francese's (Hinsdale, Mass.) infield grounder was misplayed.

Sophomore Heidi Grieger (Hyde Park, Mass.), who had come on in relief in the third inning, shut down the Nor'easters in their final at-bat to pick up the pitching win, upping her record to 2-4. She allowed zero earned runs over five innings while surrendering four hits and a pair of walks. 

After Western New England grabbed an early 1-0 lead on a RBI single by Emily Mastropaolo (Cazenovia, N.Y.) in the first, UNE struck for single runs in the home half of the frame and bottom second to take the lead, 2-1. Junior Adrienne Chase (Holden, Mass.) tied the game with an infield single, and Helbrecht had an opposite-field base hit to give Big Blue its one-run lead.

The Golden Bears would tie the game at two in the top of the fourth when senior Katie Eckert (Lee, Mass.) pushed home Francese with an infield out.

UNE struck for three runs in the bottom of the sixth to forge a 5-2 lead. The Nor'easters capitalized on a pair of WNE errors to score their first two runs, and sophomore Amanda Vallante (Dracut, Mass.) delivered a run-scoring single up the middle for their third run of the frame.

Francese and Mastropaolo paced Western New England's 15-hit attack with three hits apiece. Chase and seniors Amanda Vaudreuil (Windham, N.H.) and Ali Stanley (Rochester, N.H.) each had two hits for UNE.

Lambert (5-4) took the loss in relief. Sophomore Lauren Doneski (Waltham, Mass.) started and pitched a total of 6.2 innings, returning to the game in the seventh after being lifted earlier in the inning. She was charged with four earned runs. Doneski struck out two and walked none.

Lambert had a strong outing in game one to help the Nor'easters to their 4-1 win. She scattered six hits and did not issue a walk in earning the victory.

UNE was the first on the scoreboard, plating a run in the bottom of the opening inning when Lambert aided her own cause with a RBI single to center.

The Golden Bears squared the score in the top of the fourth when Eckert doubled to left-center.

Big Blue would then put the game out of reach in its next at-bat, scoring a pair of runs. Senior Jessica Potter (Crown Point, N.Y.) led off with a double. Pinch-runner Sydney Farley (Manchester, N.H.) moved to third on a single by graduate student Allie Frazier (Tewksbury, Mass.), who took second on the throw. Helmbrecht followed with a base hit up the middle to score Farley and Frazier.

Helmbrecht helped UNE tack on another run in the home half of the sixth when her bloop double fell just inside the right field foul line to score Potter, who had led off with a single.

Junior Lauren Zambrano (Wallingford, Conn.) took the loss in the circle for Western New England. She allowed eight hits and four earned runs while striking out three to drop her record 3-6.

Both teams return to action Tuesday (April 8) with conference doubleheaders. The Golden Bears (7-11, 3-3 CCC) head to Quincy, Mass. to take on Eastern Nazarene College, while the Nor'easters (13-9, 5-3) host Nichols College.


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