NORTON, MA- The top-seeded Wheaton College baseball team won its
10th tournament title in the 12-year history of the New England
Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) with a 23-4 victory
in the championship game over number-five United States Coast Guard
Academy on Sunday in Sidell Stadium. The Lyons earned an automatic
bid into their ninth NCAA Tournament, as the New England regional
tournament begins on May 19 at Eastern Connecticut State
University.
Now 25-7, Wheaton is ranked 24th nationally and is tied for
second in the regional rankings, while the Bears' surprising run
through the postseason came to an end, as they fell to 12-18. Coast
Guard was making its fourth finals appearance, and its first since
2003, as each has come against Wheaton.
Each of the first seven hitters in the hosts' order finished
with multiple hits, with freshman Eric Jensen (Gorham,
NH/Gorham) going 4-for-4 with four runs. Sophomore
Hal
Landers (Salem, NH/Salem) was 3-for-5 with two runs
and four RBI, while senior Paul Malaguti
(Andover, MA/Andover) and junior Sean Munley (Trenton,
NJ/The Hun School of Princeton) posted three hits, three
runs and two RBI apiece. Malaguti also walked twice.
Senior Jeff Lieneck
(Foxboro, MA/Xaverian Brothers) had two hits and three
runs, freshman Sean Ryan (Norton,
MA/Norton) had two hits, two runs and two walks, and
sophomore Dan Haugh (Andover,
MA/Saint John's Prep) added a pair of hits. Overshadowed
was a solid pitching performance from freshman Justin Santiago
(Bronx, NY/Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy), who allowed
three runs on eight hits in six innings. He struck out four and
walked one while improving to 4-0.
Freshman Riley Beecher (Elgin, TX/Manor) went
3-for-3 with two runs for Coast Guard, and senior Ryan
Milligan (Shamong, NJ/Seneca) added two hits. Freshman
Cameron Carroll (Reno, NV/Earl Wooster) drove in
two in support of classmate Nate Toll (Olney,
MD/Sherwood), who yielded nine earned runs on 12 hits in
3.2 innings. The Bears were hurt by eight walks and eight
errors.
Wheaton jumped ahead quickly with five first-inning runs, all
with two out, as Munley's two-run double began the scoring. Jensen
added an RBI single, while a pair of infield miscues brought home
runs.
After Coast Guard stranded two in the second, the Bears crept
back with a pair of runs in the third, with Carroll ripping an RBI
single before the second run came around on a fielder's choice.
From there, the Lyons scored 18 of the final 20 runs to pull
away. The hosts plated three runs in the bottom of the third,
including two on Landers' two-out single, and four more scored in
the fourth.
Down 12-2, the Bears tried mounting a rally in the fifth, as
their first two batters singled before only one run ended up
scoring, as Santiago pitched around an infield error to avert
further damage. Wheaton tacked on six runs on five hits in the home
half, with Landers' two-run double sparking a string of five
two-out runs. The teams traded runs in the seventh before the hosts
scored four in the eighth.
