Wheaton and host Clark split Sunday doubleheader in NEWMAC play

April 13, 2008

WORCESTER, MA- The Wheaton College baseball team edged New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) counterpart Clark University, 2-1 in Sunday afternoon's opener at Granger Field before falling short of the Cougars, 14-10 in a slugfest during game two, as the nationally-ranked Lyons lost a conference contest for just the second time. The Blue and White also had won 21 of its previous 22 games.

Ranked ninth nationally by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA), Wheaton is now 23-6 overall and 8-2 in league play. The Lyons, who had defeated Clark 11 straight times since 2003, trail first-place Babson College by a half game. The Cougars improve to 9-16 and 3-5 after salvaging the split.

In game one, junior Robert Foote (Walpole, MA/Walpole) scored both of Wheaton's runs, including the go-ahead score with a solo blast in the sixth, while junior hurlers Adam Gingras (Woonsocket, RI/Woonsocket) and Josh Simmons (Cranston, RI/Cranston West) combined for a five-hitter on one unearned run.

After Clark plated its lone run in the first, the Lyons came right back to even the score in the top of the second. Foote led off the frame by smacking one of four Wheaton doubles, as five of the Blue and White's six knocks were for extra bases. Foote moved to third on sophomore Jeff Lieneck's (Foxboro, MA/Xaverian Brothers) bunt single before scoring on junior Nick Pecora's (Highland Park, NJ/Immaculata) sac fly to right.

After Gingras gave up two base hits in the first, he retired eighth straight batters before yielding a leadoff single in the fourth. With the Lyons clinging to a one-run lead following Foote's homer, Gingras fanned his final batter of the sixth to escape a jam with two on and two outs. With one down and a man on in the seventh, Simmons issued a walk before inducing a fly ball to right and striking out his last batter in collecting his eighth save.

Gingras remained perfect on the season at 4-0 while lowering his earned run average to 1.67, scattering five hits over 6.1-plus innings with four strikeouts and zero walks. Foote finished up at a 2-for-3 clip with the two runs and one RBI. Pecora, senior Jake Yagjian (Brewster, MA/Nauset Regional) and sophomore Paul Malaguti (Andover, MA/Andover) all doubled. Sophomore Phillip DiMarco (Bellingham, MA/Bellingham) went 3-for-3 and drove in Clark's only run.

The nightcap was the complete opposite of the opener, as the teams combined for 24 runs and 32 hits, with the Lyons surrendering a season high in runs. Foote and Lieneck continued swinging hot bats, as Foote went 4-for-4 with two runs scored and Lieneck tied a school record with his second grand slam of the season, going 2-for-5 with four RBI and a run. Lieneck's team-leading third home run of the year gave the visitors a quick 5-0 lead in the third.

DiMarco's three-run shot in the home half brought the Cougars within two before another three-run frame in the fourth put Clark in front to stay. A Cougar roundtripper in the fifth made it a 7-5 game, but Wheaton scored its sixth run on an error in the sixth. Clark senior Matthew Adams (Jackson Heights, NY/Francis Lewis) delivered the big blow in the seventh with a two-out, bases-clearing double that provided the hosts with an 11-6 lead. After the Lyons got a run back in the eighth, the Cougars brought three more around in the bottom half for a commanding 14-7 advantage. Malaguti's three-run longball in the ninth with two down completed the scoring.

Malaguti had a huge offensive game, batting 3-for-6 with three runs, a trio of RBI, two doubles and the home run. Pecora was 2-for-5, while Yagjian went 2-for-6 with a run scored and a double. Senior Scott Guillerault (South Portland, ME/South Portland) hit 1-for-3 with an RBI, a run, a double, a walk and a sac fly. Junior Brian Hughes (Dudley, MA/Shepherd Hill Regional) took the pitching loss after yielding seven runs on 10 hits with three strikeouts and two walks in four-plus innings.

Wheaton's next two games come against conference foes and are must wins should the Lyons stay in contention for their 10th straight NEWMAC regular season crown. The Blue and White hosts Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. and Babson on Thursday at 3:30 p.m.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 4/14/08.
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