Lyons win fourth straight to complete Arizona trip, sweep 10th-ranked Johns Hopkins and Western New England
March 16, 2008
PHOENIX, AZ- The Wheaton College baseball team completed its Arizona trip on a four-game winning streak Sunday afternoon, as the 13th-ranked Lyons swept 10th-ranked Johns Hopkins University, 13-8 and regional foe Western New England College, 3-0.
Winners in six of its last eight games, Wheaton returns to New England with a 6-4 record, having played eight games against 2007 NCAA Tournament participants, including seven that are either nationally ranked or receiving votes in the Collegiate Baseball preseason poll. Johns Hopkins fell to 4-2 today, while Western New England remained winless through three games.
Junior righthander Adam Gingras (Woonsocket, RI/Woonsocket) got the Lyons off to a strong start in game one, retiring nine of his first 10 batters through the opening three innings. Wheaton's offense came alive in the third, as senior Scott Guillerault (South Portland, ME/South Portland) triggered a three-run frame with a two-run double.
Freshman Sean Munley's (Trenton, NJ/The Hun School of Princeton) two-run double highlighted the Blue and White's three-run fifth, pushing the Lyons to a 6-0 advantage. The Blue Jays got a run back in the sixth before evening the score in the seventh, but Wheaton showed its resiliency with seven runs over the next two frames to put the game out of reach.
Freshman Hadi Raad (Hastings-on-Hudson, NY/Hastings), who smacked a two-run triple to right center in the eighth, went 2-for-4 with two RBI, two runs and a stolen base. Senior Jake Yagjian (Brewster, MA/Nauset Regional) batted 2-for-5 with an RBI, a run and hit by pitch, as 11 different Lyons recorded at least one base knock. Wheaton also drew eight walks.
Gingras had a no-decision after allowing five runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and one walk in 6.2 innings. Freshman Chad Kasik (Dudley, MA/Shepherd Hill Regional) collected his first collegiate victory, giving up an unearned run and two hits in 0.1 frames, while junior Karl Olson (Bethel, ME/Gould Academy) was credited with his first save on two runs, four hits and one strikeout in the final two innings.
In the nightcap, junior southpaw Brian Hughes (Dudley, MA/Shepherd Hill Regional) and sophomore Nick Kostaras (North Attleboro, MA/North Attleboro) combined for an eight-hit shutout, as Hughes' impressive outing consisted of seven strikeouts and no walks in seven innings. Winning for the second time this week, Hughes surrendered just five hits while facing six batters over the minimum, setting down 13 of his 14 batters into the fifth. Kostaras fanned three batters with three hits allowed over two frames to corral his first career save.
All three of Wheaton's runs and half of its six hits came during the first three innings, as Guillerault's run-scoring single in the first proved to be the game-winner. Yagjian scored on a wild pitch to make the game 2-0, while Guillerault's RBI in the third extended the Lyon lead.
Junior Nick Pecora (Highland Park, NJ/Immaculata) was Wheaton's lone multiple hitter, going 2-for-4 with a run scored, triple and sacrifice hit. Guillerault had a pair of RBI with a hit by pitch, while freshman Eric Laliberte (Nashua, NH/Bishop Guertin) was hit by a pitch twice, scored a run, drew a walk and stole a base.
Wheaton's opening game up north is at Rhode Island College on Thursday at 3:30 p.m.
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It looks like the Lyons are off to a solid start. They really put some tough teams on their schedule. I would expect them to take this conference again. Interesting to note is the last line of the press release. Playing on Thursday!? Awesome!!
