2007 NCAA DIVISION III NEW ENGLAND REGIONAL TOURNAMENT - Top-seeded Lyons fall to number five Keene State, 6-3

May 17, 2007

HARWICH, MA- The top-seeded Wheaton College baseball team was unable to overcome a 6-0 deficit during Thursday's NCAA Division III New England Regional Tournament against number five Keene State College, as the Lyons fell into the loser's bracket with a 6-3 setback at Whitehouse Field.

Wheaton, which is ranked sixth nationally and first in New England by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA), dropped just its second game in its last 12 to fall to 33-12. The Lyons will play the winner of tonight's game between third seed Williams College and number six Western New England College tomorrow afternoon in an elimination game at 3:30 p.m. Moving to 31-13, the Owls advance to Friday's winner's bracket and will face second seed Eastern Connecticut State University at noon.

Wheaton was able to put up 12 hits against the Owls but only pushed three runs across, as the Blue and White stranded 11 runners. The Lyons trailed by two after four-and-a-half innings before Keene State broke things open with four runs in the bottom half of the fifth. Wheaton got a run back in the sixth and added two in the seventh, but only mustered one base runner over the last two frames.

Lyon junior hurler Louie Bernardini (Gray, ME/Gray-New Gloucester) ran into trouble in the second, as junior Joe Rousseau's (Nashua, NH/Nashua) sharply hit single down the left field line scored freshman Beau Darak (Londonderry, NH/Londonderry), who recorded one of three Keene State singles in the frame. After an Owl sacrifice put runners on second and third with one down, Lyon junior Scott Guillerault (South Portland, ME/South Portland) picked up a pair of assists on the next two batters to help Wheaton prevent further damage.

The Owls tacked on another run in the third, as senior John Grainger (Keene, NH/Keene) hit an RBI flair into short right center. Junior Ryan Jones (Nashua, NH/Nashua) began a one-out rally with a single to center and a steal. Keene State's four-run fifth included Jones and Grainger smacking consecutive RBI singles, Rousseau drawing a bases-loaded walk, and senior Buck Merrill (Colchester, CT/Bacon Academy) plating a run with a single to left.

In the top of the sixth, the Lyons jammed the bases with one down thanks to singles from sophomores Robert Foote (Walpole, MA/Walpole) and Nick Pecora (Highland Park, NJ/Immaculata) and a walk to senior Adam Laplante (Harwich, MA/Harwich). Following a Wheaton strikeout, junior Jake Yagjian (Brewster, MA/Nauset Regional) drove in a run after getting plunked, but the Lyons left the inning with just the lone run as Owl junior Phil Mabey (Williamstown, MA/Mount Greylock Regional) induced a liner to end the threat.

Wheaton again loaded the bags in the seventh, this time cashing in on a pair of runs, as Laplante delivered a one-out double into the left center field gap, plating senior Travis Anthoine (Portland, ME/Portland) and freshman Paul Malaguti (Andover, MA/Andover). Keene State freshman reliever Ben Sonberg (Bow, NH/Bow) entered the game with two on and one down, sandwiching a fly ball to right and groundout to second around a walk.

Pecora paced Wheaton's offense with four hits, Laplante doubled twice, and Foote and Yagjian had a pair of base knocks apiece. Bernardini suffered his first loss of the season, falling to 7-1 after surrendering six earned runs on nine hits with one strikeout and a walk in 4.1 innings. Sophomore Brian Hughes (Dudley, MA/Shepherd Hill Regional) came on in relief, giving up just two hits over 3.2 shutout innings with three strikeouts and one walk.

Mabey picked up his fourth win of the year after yielding three earned runs and 11 hits with three strikeouts and a walk in 6.1 innings. Senior Mike Cook (Dover, MA/Dover-Sherborn) fanned one with one hit allowed in two shutout innings to earn the save. Grainger, Jones, Rousseau and junior Greg Ford (Nashua, NH/Nashua) each had two hits.

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