Softball Sets School Record for Wins in a Season, Sweeps Keene State
Westfield improves to 29-7 on the season under third-year head coach Joe Hough, breaking the mark of 28 wins set last season.
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 1 |
|
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0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 1 |
Game 2
Game 2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 16 | 0 |
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
WESTFIELD, Mass. --- Westfield State softball set the program's single-season win record with their 29th victory of the season in the second game of a doubleheader at Keene State, as Westfield topped Keene 6-4 in the opener and 9-1 in six innings in the nightcap.
Westfield improves to 29-7 on the season under third-year head coach Joe Hough, breaking the mark of 28 wins set last season.
Westfield State junior catcher Mia Alfonso homered in both halves of the doubleheader to power the wins.
In the opener, senior pitcher Gianna Conte (W, 4-1) had a shutout going into the seventh inning before Keene struck for four runs in the final frame. Keene got a three run double from Elyse Picard to cut the lead to 5-4, but Conte struck out the final hitter of the game to secure the win. She allowed eight hits and four runs, striking out three and walking one in the game.
Alfonso launched a solo home run in the fourth to open the scoring. Westfield strung together three RBI hits in the sixth inning, getting a double from Hannah Wodecki, a 2-run single from Sarah Bingham and a single from Caroline O'Donnell that extended the lead to 5-0.
In the nightcap, Alfonso opened the scoring with a three-run homer to left, then the Owls got an RBI double from Rylie Camacho and a single from Ella Malanson to lead 5-0 after the top of the first.
Alfonso added an RBI single in the fourth, and Westfield piled on three more runs in the sixth to end the game early via the eight-run rule.
It was the 16th time in the 29 wins that the Owls won via the eight-run rule. Westfield entered the day ranked fifth in the nation in batting average as a team at .385, and 13th in scoring at 7.71 runs per game.
Westfield State starter Angelina Vartuli (W, 4-3) tossed a complete game, yielding just five hits and one run, walking four and striking out five.
Alfonso, Hannah Wodecki and Christina Ciampa each rapped out three hits in the game for Westfield.
Ciampa recorded her 130th career hit, moving to seventh on the Owls all-time list.
Alfonso now has six home runs on the season, tied for the fourth best single season in Owls history.
Megan Strzegowski (L, 5-2) took the loss for Keene (15-15) after allowing 12 hits and six runs in the first four innings.
Westfield will next play at Fitchburg State on Sunday at noon. Please note that the games at Fitchburg were moved to Sunday (from the original Saturday date) due to the forecast steady rain on Saturday.