Wheaton completes regular season with 11-2 victory on Senior Day

May 3, 2008

NORTON, MA- The nationally-ranked Wheaton College baseball team scored 10 times between the third and fifth innings to break open a tie game during an 11-2 victory against Johnson & Wales University on Saturday during Senior Day in Sidell Stadium. The Lyons, ranked 12th in the latest American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) poll, improved to 32-8 in their regular season finale, while the Wildcats slipped to 24-18.

Johnson & Wales scored first, taking advantage of a Wheaton miscue during the opening frame, as a two-out strikeout-wild pitch was followed by senior Mike MacKay's (Pawtucket, RI/Tolman) RBI single. In the bottom half, the Lyons knotted the score on junior Robert Foote's (Walpole, MA/Walpole) single to left. Wheaton batters reached on three walks and one hit during the frame, but the Lyons left the bases loaded.

The Blue and White squelched a Johnson & Wales threat in the second, as sophomore catcher Jeff Lieneck (Foxboro, MA/Xaverian Brothers) secured a strikeout before nailing a runner trying to steal on the play. Wheaton went ahead the following frame, with Foote lining an RBI single to center and sophomore Sean Buckley (Webster, MA/Bartlett) grounding out to plate another run, making it 3-1. In the fourth, senior Scott Guillerault (South Portland, ME/South Portland) singled home Wheaton's fourth run with two down before stealing second and scoring on freshman Sean Munley's (Trenton, NJ/The Hun School of Princeton) base hit to left center.

Foote made a diving catch in right field to rob the leadoff batter in the fifth, and the play eventually proved to be even more pivotal after the Wildcats put together a two-out rally. Senior Brad Jackson (Setauket, NY/Ward Melville) capped a run of three straight batters reaching base with an RBI single, but the final Johnson & Wales batter struck out with two on as the tying run.

Wheaton built upon its 5-2 lead with a six-run bottom half of the inning, plating its runs on three hits, one miscue, four walks and two hit batsmen. Lieneck had the big blow of the inning, a two-run double to left center, while Foote, senior Jake Yagjian (Brewster, MA/Nauset Regional) and freshman Eric Laliberte (Nashua, NH/Bishop Guertin) each drove in one run during the frame.

The Lyons finished with 14 hits, including 13 during the first five innings. Foote went 4-for-4 with three RBI, tying his season highs in hits and runs batted in. Lieneck was 2-for-3 with two RBI, while Munley ended the day 2-for-2 with two runs and two bases on balls. Guillerault and Laliberte added two runs and two hits apiece, while Yagjian scored twice. Senior Ken Depasse (Holden, MA/Saint John's) walked twice and was hit by a pitch.

Five Wheaton hurlers combined to yield five hits while striking out seven and walking only two. Junior Adam Gingras (Woonsocket, RI/Woonsocket) improved to 7-0 after going the first three innings, allowing one run on two hits with four strikeouts, before classmate Brian Hughes (Dudley, MA/Shepherd Hill Regional) and sophomore Nick Kostaras (North Attleboro, MA/North Attleboro) each tossed a pair of frames. Hughes allowed one run on two hits, and Kostaras set down all six batters he faced, including two on strikes. Freshman Kevin Calabro (Andover, MA/Andover) tossed a 1-2-3 eighth, and senior Keith Pescosolido (Newton, MA/Newton North) completed the contest with a shutout ninth inning.

Five different Wildcats had one hit apiece, with Jackson the lone Johnson & Wales player to both drive in a run and score a run. Senior Erik Hufnagel (Sykesville, MD/Glenelg) suffered his first loss in eight decisions after allowing 11 earned runs on 13 hits in 4.2 innings, walking eight, hitting two and striking out four. Classmate Josh Hodge (Sherburne, NY/Sherburne-Earlville) spun 3.1 frames of one-hit relief, fanning a trio of Lyons.

Wheaton's next contest comes in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, which begins on Wednesday, May 14. Pairings will be announced on Monday, May 12.

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