Owls Walk-Off WNE; Win Streak Extends to 26 Straight
Kassidy LaTour singled home two runs with two outs in the bottom of the seventh with a base hit to left field to turn a 6-5 deficit in to a 7-6 win.
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 2 |
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2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 0 |
Game 2
Game 2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0 |
|
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1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | X | 5 | 7 | 1 |
WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State got a walk off win in the bottom of the seventh inning in game one, and 6-2/3 shutout innings of relief across both games from ace Angelina Vartuli as the #25/#9 ranked Owls swept Western New England, 7-6 and 5-2.
Westfield improves to 26-0 on the season with the pair of non-conference wins. WNE slips to 14-13.
In the opener, Kassidy LaTour singled home two runs with two outs in the bottom of the seventh with a base hit to left field to turn a 6-5 deficit in to a 7-6 win. LaTour plated Sarah Hough from third, and Hannah Wodecki rounded the bag at third and ran into what looked like a tag at the plate after a perfect throw from Bears LF Kat Brooks, but the home plate umpire ruled that the catcher obstructed the path to the plate with out the ball, and Wodecki scored the winning run.
Vartuli (W, 8-0) came on to deal 2.2 innings of scoreless relief, striking out four to give the Owls the chance to rally.
Westfield State overcame a five-run fifth inning from Western New England to deliver the decisive blow late. After building a 5-1 lead through three innings, the Owls saw it slip away when the Golden Bears surged ahead 6-5.
The Golden Bears strung together five runs in the fifth, getting a two-run single from starting pitcher Riley Kane, and RBI singles fro Nicolina Salanto and Angelees Carrasquillo.
Rylie Camacho paced the offense for Westfield with a three-hit performance, while Kassidy LaTour drove in three runs on two hits, providing the key run production in the back-and-forth contest. LaTour launched a titanic solo HR to left field in the third inning, a high fly ball that hit a tree beyond the fence some 30 feet up in the air.
Westfield State carried that momentum into Game 2, using a balanced attack to complete the sweep with a 5-2 victory.
The Owls scored in three different innings, including a three-run fifth that broke the game open.
Sarah Hough and Mia Alfonso each collected two hits to lead the offense, while Caroline O'Donnell delivered a pair of RBIs on a wall-ball double in the fifth inning, after Hough mashed a solo home run deep down the left field line to lead off the sixth and break the tie.
The pitching staff again proved effective, with Shayna Bakun allowing two runs over three innings before Vartuli (W, 9-0) returned to toss four scoreless frames in relief in a gritty performance to earn her second win of the day.
Western New England pushed across single funs in the first and second innings but were held off late. The Bears got two runners aboard to start the sixth but PH Olivia Lugo lined out to Vartuli to start a double play and squash the threat.
Westfield will look to continue its record winning streak on Saturday with a pair of games against conference rival Framingham State, starting at noon on Sullivan Field.