Wheaton strings together 20 runs in cruising past UMass-Dartmouth, 20-8

March 27, 2008

NORTH DARTMOUTH, MA- The 18th-ranked Wheaton College baseball team strung together 20 runs for the first time in just over a year and 10th time in program history Thursday afternoon at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, as the Lyons cruised to their ninth consecutive victory with a 20-8 decision.

Wheaton, which is ranked 18th in the country by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA), raised its spring record to 11-4. Its nine-game winning streak is tied for fifth in program history. The Corsairs are 1-11.

Nine different Lyons recorded at least one hit, as the Blue and White turned a 4-3 fourth-inning lead into a 20-4 advantage entering the bottom of the eighth. Wheaton also drew a program-high-tying 11 walks in a game that was called after eight innings due to darkness. Twenty different players saw action this afternoon, with five recording multiple-hit performances.

Sophomore Paul Malaguti (Andover, MA/Andover) had his first career four-hit game, going 4-for-5 with two runs, an RBI and a double, as his two-out single in the first sparked a two-run rally. Freshman Sean Munley's (Trenton, NJ/The Hun School of Princeton) two-bagger to left center scored Malaguti and senior Scott Guillerault (South Portland, ME/South Portland), who drew a walk.

Sophomore starter Nick Kostaras (North Attleboro, MA/North Attleboro) kept the Corsairs off the board through the first two frames, while his offense added two more runs in the third. Guillerault doubled home Malaguti before scoring on a passed ball. The hosts manufactured a run in the third and two more in the fourth to close the gap to one, but Wheaton answered with a run in each the fifth and sixth frames, three in the seventh and 11 in the eighth. Sixteen Lyons had plate appearances during the eighth.

Munley finished the game 2-for-4 with three RBI, a run and double, while freshman Hadi Raad (Hastings-on-Hudson, NY/Hastings) went 2-for-2 with three RBI, a run and a walk as a late-game substitution. Freshman Eric Laliberte (Nashua, NH/Bishop Guertin) drove in a season-best four runs on two hits while scoring once, while sophomore Jeff Lieneck (Foxboro, MA/Xaverian Brothers) added two hits with two runs.

Guillerault turned in two runs and a pair of walks to go alongside his RBI double, junior Nick Pecora (Highland Park, NJ/Immaculata) scored three times, drew three walks and had a hit and RBI, while classmate Robert Foote (Walpole, MA/Walpole) added two runs and a base on balls.

Kostaras collected his second win of the spring, allowing three runs on eight hits with two strikeouts in six innings.

For UMass-Dartmouth, juniors Dave McGuire (Plainville, MA/King Philip Regional) and Dave Ogorzalek (Rockfall, CT/Xavier) and freshmen Chris Benevides (Fall River, MA/Durfee) and Ryan McDermott (Pembroke, MA/Pembroke) accounted for two hits apiece, while first-year Scott Tibbetts (Hanover, MA/Hanover) took the loss after going 5.2 innings, yielding six runs on six hits.

After 15 games away from Norton, the Lyons are slated to open the home portion of their schedule tomorrow afternoon against Endicott College at 3:30 p.m.

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