Seven middle-inning runs carry Wheaton to fifth straight victory

May 1, 2007

NORTON, MA- The seventh-ranked Wheaton College baseball team used seven middle-inning runs to help extend its winning streak to five games Tuesday afternoon, as the Lyons posted a 7-1 non-conference victory over the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth at Sidell Stadium.

Wheaton, which is also ranked first in New England by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA), saw its overall record improve to 28-10 and is now just two wins shy of 300 in the program's 10-year varsity history. The Corsairs slipped to 7-23 with today's loss.

Junior Jake Yagjian's (Brewster, MA/Nauset Regional) bases-clearing single with two down in the fifth proved to be the difference, as his hit to right center helped the hosts snap a 1-1 tie. Yagjian finished the day 2-for-4 with the three RBI and a run scored. After the Corsairs put up a run in the top of the first on junior Dylan Zygmont's (Swansea, MA/Case) RBI single to center, Yagjian knotted the game in the fourth as he rounded the bases with a triple to right coupled with a UMass-Dartmouth throwing error.

Wheaton tacked on three insurance runs in the sixth to complete the scoring. Seniors Travis Anthoine (Portland, ME/Portland) and Brandon Leonard (Brockton, MA/Brockton) smacked back-to-back triples to account for the Lyons' first run. Classmate Adam Laplante (Harwich, MA/Harwich) doubled home Leonard two batters later, and junior Scott Guillerault (South Portland, ME/South Portland) scored Laplante two batters after that on a groundout to third.

On the mound, the Lyons used seven pitchers on the afternoon, with nobody going longer than two innings. Senior starter Joe White (Bedford, NH/Manchester West) yielded one earned run on two hits through two frames, while six Wheaton relief pitcher combined to fire seven scoreless innings on just four hits with eight strikeouts and one walk. Sophomore Adam Gingras (Woonsocket, RI/Woonsocket) tossed a pair of shutout frames with two strikeouts, while freshman Jon Shepard (Salisbury, MA/Triton Regional) picked up his first decision after going 1-2-3 while fanning one in the fifth.

Freshman Nick Kostaras (North Attleboro, MA/North Attleboro) surrendered one hit in a scoreless sixth, classmate Pat Martin (Rockland, MA/Rockland) had two strikeouts in the seventh, while sophomore Brian Hughes (Dudley, MA/Shepherd Hill Regional) fanned one and walked one during a one-hit eighth. Junior Keith Pescosolido (Newton, MA/Newton North) closed things out in the ninth with two strikeouts and grounder to short.

Offensively, the Lyons turned in four multiple-hit performances, led by sophomore Nick Pecora's (Highland Park, NJ/Immaculata) 3-for-5 showing with a run scored. In addition to Yagjian's two hits, Laplante was 2-for-3 with two runs, an RBI and a pair of walks, while senior Jeff Martin (Marblehead, MA/Marblehead) batted 2-for-4 with a stolen base.

UMass-Dartmouth sophomore Shaun McAuliffe (Bridgewater, MA/Bridgewater-Raynham) suffered the loss after allowing four earned runs on seven hits with three strikeouts and three walks in five innings. Freshman Joe Albano (Agawam, MA/Loomis Chaffee School) went 2-for-4 with a run and double to lead the Corsair offense.

The Lyons head to Connecticut on Thursday night for a non-conference showdown against the 11th-ranked Warriors of Eastern Connecticut State University at 7:00 p.m. Wheaton knocked off Eastern, 7-6 in 11 innings last Thursday in Norton.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 5/7/07.
Questions about this page? Use our query form.

News Headlines.

Wheaton baseball represented among collegiate summer league teams (more)

McDonough signs with Brockton Rox, becomes Wheaton's sixth professional (more)

Gingras named Wheaton's first ABCA All-America pitcher since 2002 (more)

Upcoming Schedule

7-15-Mar Sat-Sun Spring Break Trip N TBA
19-Mar Thu Rhode Island College A 3:00pm
22-Mar Sun Springfield (2) H 12:00pm