Lyons shift focus to NEWMAC Tournament this weekend

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The Wheaton College baseball team claimed a 15-5 non-conference victory over Bridgewater State University (BSU) on Thursday evening at Alumni Park.

Sophomore Jack Fant (McLean, Va./McLean) notched his first victory of the season out of the pen going 3 1/3 innings alongside five hits, three runs (all earned), two walks and a pair of strikeouts. First-year Joe Bongiovanni (Johnston, R.I./Johnston) received the no-decision as he scattered three hits over four shutout innings.

BSU starter Shane Surette (Haverhill, Mass./Whittier Tech) took the loss on five innings pitched, 12 hits, 11 runs (four earned), five walks and three strikeouts.

Wheaton jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first inning on three hits, two errors and two runners left on base. Junior Mike Beneduce (North Kingstown, R.I./Moses Brown School) opened up the scoring with an RBI single to center, while sophomore Zachary Goodwin-Boyd (Florence, Mass./Northampton) made it 2-0 with a sacrifice fly to left field.

Senior Apolinar De La Cruz (Providence, R.I./Classical) scored the final run of the inning on a throwing error.

In the second, junior Justin Silvestro (Waltham, Mass./BC High) pushed the gap to 4-0 with a run-producing single through the right side of the infield and Beneduce picked up his second RBI of the day with a hard-hit base knock to center.

The Lyons tacked on four more runs in the fifth, which was highlighted by a two-run triple from Silvestro that plated sophomore Joshua LaJoie (Somers, Conn./Avon Old Farms) and senior Justin Pelsuo (North Reading, Mass./Saint John's Prep).

BSU cut into the deficit and also broke up the shutout in the bottom half of the frame with two runs on three hits, zero errors and two runners left on base. Junior Travis Ritchie (Taunton, Mass./Taunton) had a fielder's choice RBI, while classmate Scott O'Brien (East Bridgewater, Mass./Cardinal Spellman) drove in a run with a single to left field to round out the scoring in the inning and put the score at 9-2 in favor of the Lyons.

Wheaton tacked on six more runs over the next three innings to put the game out of reach.

Silvestro, Beneduce and Peluso all finished with three hits apiece as the Blue and White combined for 23 hits total in the contest.

Wheaton (22-10) will play WPI this Saturday in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament semifinal round at 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. The best of three series will be played at Assumption College in Worcester, Mass. The if necessary game is scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m. BSU (7-18) hosts Western New England University tomorrow at 3:30 p.m.

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