Seahawks suffer first loss in CCC tournament

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – A five-run seventh inning extended #1 Western New England's season as the Golden Bears came from behind and defeated the Salve Regina baseball team, 10-7 in the Commonwealth Coast Conference championship tournament Saturday afternoon.

Trailing 7-5 going into the bottom of the seventh, Western New England plated five runs to pull ahead, 10-7. Senior Kyle McKelvey (Schenectady, N.Y.) got things going in the inning with an RBI-single to left to bring home senior Mike Rubino (Northford, Conn.). After freshman T.J. Wyrebek (Bristol, Conn.) was hit by a pitch to load the bases, senior Taylor Perun (Plainville, Conn.) promptly cleared them with a triple to right center to give the lead back to the Golden Bears, 9-7. Freshman Tim Budd (Cheshire, Conn.) put the final touches on the five-run frame with a groundout that allowed Perun to score.

The Seahawks put two runners on in the eighth, but couldn't capitalize and went down in order in the ninth as the Golden Bears handed Salve Regina its first loss of the CCC tournament.

WNE jumped out to an early 4-0 lead with four runs in the first inning on four hits but the Seahawks would not go quietly and responded with three in the third to cut the lead to 4-3, in favor of the Golden Bears. With one away, sophomore Sean Becker (Richmond, Va.) and junior Anthony Conte (Georgetown, Mass.) hit back-to-back singles to put runners on the corners for Salve Regina. Freshman Ryan Kelly (Waldwick, N.J.) got the Seahawks on the board with the third straight single of the inning to score Becker. Kelly stole second to put two in scoring position for junior Tyler Colby (Easton, Conn.) A hard-hit infield single to shortstop scored Conte before an RBI-single from sophomore Joe Haley (North Kingston, R.I.) brought home Kelly.

Senior righthander Daniel Kehew (Portsmouth, R.I.) set the Golden Bears down in order in the bottom of the third to keep it a one-run game, 4-3, after three innings.

Becker reached on a fielding error by the Golden Bears first baseman to load the bases with no outs in the top of the fourth. Conte followed with a single through the left side to score junior Nicholas Dell'Anno (Reading, Mass.) to tie the game at 4-4 and keep the bases loaded for Salve Regina. Freshman Ryan Sweenor (South Kingston, R.I.) flew out to left to score Becker for the second out of the inning and give the Seahawks their first lead of the game, 5-4. Colby picked up his second RBI of the game with a single to right field to bring home Conte to give the Seahawks a 6-4 lead.

Senior Tim Clark (West Springfield, Conn.) cut the Seahawk lead to 6-5 in the bottom of the fourth as he reached on an infield bunt single with the bases loaded that brought home S Ambrosino before Kehew got M Rubino to fly out to right with the bases loaded to end the fourth.

Salve Regina pushed its lead back to two runs as Colby scored on a throwing error by the WNE catcher to give SRU a 7-5 lead before Western New England's five-run seventh.

Colby led the Seahawks at the plate going 3-for-5 with a run score and two RBI while Dell'Anno and Conte each had a pair of hits. Becker and Conte scored twice for the Seahawks.

Kehew took the loss on the mound for Salve Regina after going six innings, allowing eight runs on 11 hits while sophomore Nick Salerno (Essex Junction, Vt.) got the win in relief for Western New England, pitching 4.2 innings, allowing just one unearned run on two hits while striking out four.

Salve Regina will face Endicott in the first game of the championship round tomorrow at 12 p.m. in Springfield, Mass. while the winner of that game will face Western New England for the CCC crown at 3:30 p.m.