QUEENSBURY, N.Y. – Westfield State University’s first-ever indoor regular-season softball game had a tough ending, but the second game has a promising start.
The Owls dropped a 16-2 decision to Western New England University in the opening game of a doubleheader at the Adirondack Sports Complex Dome on Tuesday night after the flood gates opened for the Bears to score 10 runs, 9 unearned, in the top of the seventh inning.
Westfield holds a 4-1 lead through four complete innings before the game was halted due to the late hour and early morning classes the next day.
The two Western Mass squads made the 2-hour trek to Upstate New York to get a pair of games in. The unusually harsh New England winter has made virtually every grass field in the region unplayable to date. Westfield State was playing its first game in 11 days since returning from the team’s spring break trip to Florida. The Dome features two softball regulation-sized all-turf fields under an estimated 90 foot high inflated roof.
Breanne Bisceglia slides into third base.
“It was really cool that we got to play our first game after Florida in a Dome,” said Westfield State senior first baseman Kelsey Carpenter. “We have played on turf for practice and indoors, but playing inside the Dome felt completely different. We never thought we would ever get to play a regulation game indoors and it probably will be the first and the last time for many. It doesn’t happen much that people can play a collegiate game indoors, but we were lucky to have that opportunity.”
In the opener, Western New England struck for three runs in the top of the 3rd inning. Sam Mulhern led of with a base hit, and Cori Delisle followed with a double to center field. Mulhern scored on a wild pitch, and Delisle later scored on a fielder’s choice by Grace Kucharski. Kucharski later scored on a bases loaded walk by Katie Wood.
Westfield responded with two runs in the bottom of the fourth. Maddy Atkocaitis walked, Emma Dunbar singled, and then Atkocaitis scored on a ground rule double by Breanne Bisceglia. Bisceglia’s blast to left center was initially called a home run by the umpiring crew, but the call was then amended after a conference in which the crew declared the ball had bounced over the fence. Bisceglia later scored on a passed ball to cut the lead to 3-2.
The Golden Bears gained some breathing room in the sixth, as Hannah Hill delivered a one-out single to short as was called safe on a bang-bang play at first. Mulhern singled and Delisle walked before Heather Fecteau rapped a two run double. Alexis Bukowski followed with an RBI sac fly to plate Delisle.
In top of the seventh, Western New England capitalized on several Owls miscues to post 10 runs. The big blow in the inning was a three-run double by Bukowski.
Emily Mailloux (2-2) started and took the loss for Westfield, allowing six runs on 10 hits through six innings. The Dome didn’t help her cause as several foul pops that would have been easy outs outdoors hit the roof and were declared dead (as the roof was lower near the edges of the dome in the home plate area). Several balls hit the roof in play and were live, one of which resulted in a infield base hit for Bisceglia, and three that the Owls turned into outs on the defensive side of the ball.
Kat Robinson tries for a slap hit.
“It took some time getting used to knowing what is in play, out of play, foul balls and which balls were still considered anout with hitting the ceiling,” said Carpenter.
Bisceglia was 2-3 with a double, an RBI and a run scored for Westfield. Atkocaitis finished 1-2 with a walk and a run scored.
Starter Lauren Zambrano (3-1) went the route for WNE, scattering five hits and striking out eight.
The second game was suspended at 11:15 p.m. with travel time and early classes looming for many student athletes on Wednesday morning.
Western New England scratched together a run on a walk, a ground out, and passed ball and an RBI single from Buckowski in the top of the 1st. Westfield answered with a leadoff single from Kelsey Carpenter, a one-out single from Bisceglia that moved Carpenter to third, and then the duo executed a textbook double steal that scored Carpenter with Bisceglia coming around to third on the play at the plate.
The owls added three more in the bottom of the fouth, with Dunbar reaching on a one out-error, followed by Julie Sullivan who was hit by a pitch. Both advanced on a wild pitch, then scored on Jamie Ricciardi’s double. After a sac bunt moved Ricciardi to third, Lyndsey McQuarrie hit a triple to right field that scored Riccardi.
The two teams are working on a reschedule date to complete the suspended game and may add a third contest between the two local rivals.
