MELBOURNE, Fla. - The Western Connecticut State University softball squad played a pair of close games in the Space Coast Games today, but the Wolves succumbed, 4-1, to the Millikin University Big Blue and, 13-10, in extra innings versus the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Blugolds.  WestConn falls to 3-7 having lost six straight games, and will face Rutgers University-Newark and St. Norbert College tomorrow in their last games of spring break.

The Wolves scored first against Millikin when junior Jaycee Filancia (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) singled, stole two bases, and scored on a wild pitch in the top of the first inning.  Millikin's Kelsey Bruno allowed just two more hits, however, and struck out 11 over seven innings.  WestConn sophomore RHP Lindsey Farinacchio (Red Hook, N.Y.) was nearly as good, yielding five hits and one earned run with 2 K's in five innings pitched, but fell to 2-3.  Sophomore Amanda O'Shea (Patterson, N.Y.) and freshman Julia Valukis (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) had the other Wolves hits.

Against Wisc.-Eau Claire, WestConn cranked out 14 hits but surrendered 17 in a wild, eight-inning saga. WestConn trailed, 2-0, heading into its third turn at bat, but scored five times to lead, 5-2, after three frames. Filancia had an RBI double, while sophomore Kendall Allen (Naugatuck, Conn.), Valukis, and graduate Gretchen Bunovsky (Monroe, Conn. delivered run-scoring base hits in the inning.  The Blugolds answered with five runs in the fourth inning to reclaim the lead, but the Wolves tied the game in the seventh on back-to-back, two-out RBI doubles by seniors Brianna Malvino (Glen Cove, N.Y.) and Madison Zicchinelli (Miller Place, N.Y.).

WestConn mounted its third comeback in the bottom of the seventh, scoring twice to tie the game at 9-9 when sophomore Deanna Reimo (Holtsville, N.Y.) and Zicchinelli scored on a Blugold fielding miscue.  Wisc.-Eau Claire came out strong in the extra inning with four runs, but WestConn continued to fight and scored a run on consecutive singles by Valukis and graduate Rachael Ushka (Southbury, Conn.) before the final out was recorded.  Farinacchio went seven innings, giving her 12 innings in the two games, and fell to 2-4.  Seven different Wolves had two hits, Ushka scored twice, and Valukis had a pair of RBIs.