SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Sarah Lempicki (Plantsville, CT) pitched and batted the Western New England softball team to a 4-2 victory over Curry Saturday afternoon in a play-in game of the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Championship.
The Golden Bears (16-19) advance to meet the University of New England on Monday in the double elimination phase of the championship.
Lempicki had a complete victory allowing six hits with four walks and three strikeouts in raising her record to 9-7. She also went 3-for-3 with two homers and three RBI.
Western New England took a 1-0 lead in the first on a two-out blast by Lempicki to center and went ahead 3-0 when she hit her fourth homer of the season to left.
The Colonels got a run back in the fourth when freshman third base player Ariel LaRosa (Saugus, MA) slugged her third round tripper of the spring to left center.
The Golden Bears extended their margin to 4-1 on a RBI single by senior catcher Rachel Wyrwa (Methuen, MA) in the fifth. She also had a perfect day at the plate by going 2-for-2 with a walk.
Curry (20-20) again pulled within two when LaRosa doubled with one out and scored on a clutch two-out single by junior center fielder Valerie LaSala (Seaford, NY). Lempicki got out of the jam by retiring sophomore first base player Heather Carrier (Scarborough, ME) to foul out with runners on first and second.
Senior first base player Sara Barnes (Berkley, MA) and freshman left fielder Hannah Hill (Malden, MA) made nice catches on foul balls for the first two outs of the sixth.
The Colonels made things interesting in the seventh as senior left fielder Caitlin Luquet (Walnut Creek, CA) doubled to right with two outs. Lempicki retired sophomore right fielder Chelsey Munsey (Leominster, MA) on a pop-up to second to end the game.
Freshman Taylor Ahearn (Salem, MA) pitched the first four innings giving up five hits and three runs with a walk and five strikeouts. She is now 10-8. Sophomore Jennifer Lundstrom (Rehoboth, MA) gave up five hits and a run with no walks and two strikeouts in two innings. (Recap courtesy of WNE Sports Information)
