MELBOURNE, Fla. - Sophomore Lindsay Farinaccio (Red Hook, N.Y.) pitched a complete game with four strikeouts and no walks to collect her first win and lead the Western Connecticut State University Wolves to an 8-1 victory over the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in Space Coast games action this morning.  WestConn, which also downed Grinnell today, 7-5, in extra innings opened their 2025 campaign at 2-0 while MCLA dropped to 1-2 overall. The Wolves also pounded out 14 hits and did not committing an error against the MCLA Trailbazers.

Following a scoreless top of the first, WestConn took the 1-0 lead on sacrifice fly from junior Alexis Resto (Shelton, Conn.). The Wolves exploded for four runs in the bottom of the third inning when graduate Rachael Ushka (Southbury, Conn.) started the scoring on a wild pitch following a lead-off triple. Sophomore Kendall Allen (Naugatuck, Conn.) then delivered a hard-hit single followed up by back-to-back doubles by Resto and senior Brianna Malvino (Glen Cove, N.Y.) to score two more runs. Senior Madison Zicchinelli (Miller Place, N.Y.) later plated Malvino on a sacrifice fly to increase the lead to 5-0. The top of the sixth saw MCLA get their lone run on an RBI single from sophomore Samantha Wheeler.  Allen added to the lead with a double, driving in two runs including the speedy sophomore Benni Tucci (Norwalk, Conn.) who had a 3-for-4 day at the plate herself.  Resto added an RBI single to stretch the lead to 8-1.  

Against Grinnell, WestConn surged to a 4-0 lead thanks to a bases-clearing triple from graduate Gretchen Bunovsky (Monroe, Conn.) who also scored on an errant relay throw.  The game remained there until the bottom of the fifth when Grinnell cut the lead to 4-2.  A bases-loaded single infied single followed by an errant throw cut the Wolves lead in half to 4-2. Grinnell tied up the game, 4-4, in the bottom of the sixth on a two-run double from freshman Lexi Herrick.  Farinaccio came in relief and kept the score tied until the top of the eighth inning when the Wolves added runs to take the 7-4 lead.  Senior Carly Cordova (East Haven, Conn.) reached first on an error after bunting but ended up plating two runs. Freshman Victoria Wiatrak (Cromwell, Conn.)  tacked on the third run of the inning on an RBI single. Farrinaccio held Grinnell to just one run in the final frame to earn her second win of the day and the season.