DANBURY, Conn. - Western Connecticut State University starters Lindsay Farinacchio (Red Hook, N.Y.) and
Olivia Bordenaro (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.) both pitched complete games to lead the Wolves to a 5/9-4/4 doubleheader sweep against the visiting University of Saint Joseph Blue Jays in softball action this afternoon at Westside Field. WestConn improves to 20-14, its first 20-win season since 2016, and Wolves Head Coach
Heather Stone collects her 400th and 401st wins with her alma mater. Stone had achieved 500 career coaching wins earlier this spring, having won 110 games as head coach at Merchant Marine prior to coming to her alma mater in 2007. St. Joseph drops to 17-14. WestConn will play its third doubleheader in as many days tomorrow when they visit Wesleyan for two at 3 p.m.
WestConn trailed, 1-0, heading into its first time at bat after an RBI double by St. Joseph's Alyssa Roberts. Wolves junior SS
Jaycee Filancia (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) evened the score right away, walking, stealing second, and eventually scoring on a wild pitch. WestConn added three unearned runs in the second inning to jump ahead, 4-1. Junior
Alexis Resto (Shelton, Conn.) led off with a double, followed by walks to senior OF
Carly Cordova (East Haven, Conn.) and Filancia. A Blue jay error on a grounder by Wolves rookie
Sera DeBaggis (Mendon, Mass.) cleared the bases with the speedy Filancia scoring from first. St. Joseph got one run back in the third frame with an unearned run off Farnacchio, and cut its deficit to one with another run in the fifth. The visitors tied the game at 4-all on a solo homer by Avianna Inbrahim.
In the sixth inning, the Wolves took the lead back for good. Rookies
Julia Valukis (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) and
Victoria Wiatrak (Cromwell, Conn.) led off with singles and Cordona reached on an error to load the bases. Filancia pushed home the go-ahead run with her fourth walk of the game, but a force out at home and a double play helped the Blue Jays get out of the jam with just one run. Farinacchio did not allow a run in the seventh to improve to 8-7, yielding five hits with four strikeouts. Paige Fekete allowed just four hits but walked seven in six innings and took the loss for St. Joseph to fall to 4-5. Sophomore
Kendall Allen (Naugatuck, Conn.) had a double for the fourth Wolves hit.
In game two, Bordenaro struck out seven in her first three innings of work but the Blue Jays also managed six hits and scored once in each of the first two frames. Senior OF
Brianna Malvino (Glen Cove, N.Y.) slammed a solo homer over the left field fence to put the Wolves on the board in the bottom of the third, but St. Joseph tacked on two more runs in the fourth to go ahead, 4-1. In the fifth inning, WestConn 1B
Rachael Ushka (Southbury, Conn.) doubled and scored on a Cordova sacrifice fly, and Filancia singled and scored on a throwing error after sophomore teammate
Benni Tucci (Norwalk, Conn.) beat out a bunt single on the first base line.
The Wolves blew the game open with six runs in the sixth stanza. Ushka singled home the game-tying run and Cordova forced home the clincher with a bases-loaded walk. Filancia also had an RBI single in the inning. Bordenaro pitched around two Blue Jay singles in the seventh tto improve to 8-5. WestConn finished with 11 hits and did not commit an error in the field. Malvino was 3-for-3 at the plate, while both Filancia, Tucci, and Ushka had two hits apiece. Alyssa Roberts started and took the loss for St. Joseph, dropping to 7-5.
