Lyons fall at Eastern Connecticut in battle of regional heavyweights, 2-1

May 1, 2008

MANSFIELD, CT- Sophomore Jeff Lieneck (Foxboro, MA/Xaverian Brothers) homered with one out in the ninth, and the Wheaton College baseball team put the tying run on base but could not push him across during a 2-1 loss to Eastern Connecticut State University in a clash between nationally-ranked New England institutions on Thursday night at the ECSU Baseball Stadium.

The Lyons, ranked 12th nationally by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA), saw a seven-game win streak come to an end in sliding to 31-8 while losing for the first time in 11 one-run contests since last May. The Blue and White fell for just the fourth time in 33 games since a 2-4 start. The 28th-ranked Warriors won for the 15th time in their last 17 games and are now 25-11-1, but Wheaton limited them to two runs after Eastern Connecticut State had averaged nearly 16 runs during its past four games.

In a battle between teams that have met five times in NCAA Tournament play since 2001, tight Wheaton defense wiped out Warrior threats in each of the first three innings. Consecutive Eastern Connecticut State singles to begin the game placed runners on the corners, but senior Chris McDonough (Weymouth, MA/Weymouth) induced a popup and a line-drive double play to sophomore first baseman Sean Buckley (Webster, MA/Bartlett) that ended the frame. McDonough pitched around a leadoff single in the second, as freshman Eric Laliberte (Nashua, NH/Bishop Guertin), in his first collegiate start at shortstop, began an inning-ending twin killing. During the third, Lieneck erased the frame's lone runner by starting a rundown with a throw from his post behind the plate.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Warriors got all the runs they would need. With two down, senior Ismael Bolorin (Manchester, CT/Manchester) reached on an infield single, and an ensuing infield miscue on the play allowed junior Tristan Hobbes (Utica, NY/Notre Dame) to score and Bolorin to reach second. Classmate Andrew Magliola (East Haven, CT/East Haven) followed with a base hit to left that plated Bolorin.

Wheaton attempted to chip away at its deficit, as seniors Jake Yagjian (Brewster, MA/Nauset Regional) and Scott Guillerault (South Portland, ME/South Portland) drew consecutive two-out walks in the sixth before being left on. Lieneck and Buckley rapped back-to-back base hits with one down the next inning, but sophomore closer Chris Wojick (Uncasville, CT/Montville) got his first batter to line into a double play. Two more Wheaton runners were stranded in the eighth.

McDonough pitched out of a two-on, one-out jam in the sixth before a trio of relievers left two Warrior runners stranded in the eighth, as the first two batters of the frame singled. Freshman Chad Kasik (Dudley, MA/Shepherd Hill Regional) induced a pair of grounders, and junior closer Josh Simmons (Cranston, RI/Cranston West) got the only batter he faced to fly out to right field with two runners in scoring position.

Lieneck smacked his team-leading fourth dinger of the season with the bases empty and one out in the ninth, and Buckley singled into right field to put the tying run on base and bring the go-ahead run to bat. However, Wojick closed the contest by getting the final two Lyons to ground out.

During their first contest since winning their ninth New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament in 10 years and qualifying for their eighth NCAA Tournament, the Lyons were led by Lieneck's 3-for-4 effort. Buckley had his team's other two hits. McDonough suffered the loss despite yielding just the two runs on eight hits in seven innings, as he fanned three and walked just one.

Senior Jon Dalton (Standish, ME/Bonny Eagle) went 3-for-4 for the Warriors, while Hobbes added a pair of knocks. Sophomore Matt Fontaine (Cranston, RI/Cranston West) tossed 6.1 shutout frames, yielding three hits while striking out eight and walking two, while Wojick went 2.2 frames to notch the save. The earned run he allowed on Lieneck's homer was just the second he has yielded in 32 innings this spring.

Wheaton turns right around and hosts contests each of the next two days in completing its regular season slate. Tomorrow, the Lyons take on 18th-ranked Keene State College at 4:00 p.m. The Blue and White looks to gain revenge for the Owls knocking it from last year's NCAA Tournament.

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