AUBURNDALE, Fla. -- The No. 11 Wheaton College (Mass.) baseball team held a 2-1 lead after seven, but Ithaca College scored single runs in the eighth and ninth to come away with a 3-2 victory this morning at Lake Myrtle Sports Park in Auburndale, Fla. as part of the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational. The Lyons fall to 2-3 on the season, while the Bombers improve to 9-2.

Both teams were held scoreless until Ithaca scored a run in the top of the seventh, before Wheaton responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame. Each side combined for 26 strikeouts with 13 apiece.

Senior right fielder Jake Studley (Barrington, R.I.) was 1-4 with a run batted in and a run scored for the Lyons, while sophomore center fielder AJ Guindon (Coventry, R.I.) smacked a double in three official at-bats. First year left fielder Kevin Matos (Lawrence, Mass.) was 2-3 at the plate for Wheaton. Senior right-handed starter Griffin Young (Dover, N.H.) allowed two runs on eight hits in seven and a third innings and did not issue a walk, while striking out a career-high 12 batters. Senior righty reliever Zach Clesas (Johnston, R.I.) (0-1) was saddled with the loss, giving up a run on two hits in one and two-thirds innings to go with a pair of strikeouts.

First year center fielder Collin Feeney (Ridgewood, N.J.) came off the bench early in the game because of an injury and made the most of his chance for the Bombers, going 2-3 with a triple and an RBI, while senior first baseman Buzz Shirley (Candor, N.Y.) turned in a 2-4 effort with a run batted in. Junior catcher Gil Merod (Ithaca, N.Y.) was 2-4 with a run scored and sophomore third baseman Ethan Rothstein (Demarest, N.J.) knocked in a run with a single. Junior reliever Erislandy Rives (Hieleah, Fla.) earned the win with two and a third innings of one-hit scoreless relief, while fanning three batters to improve to 1-0. Senior right-hander Kyle Lambert (Albany, N.Y.) allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits and four walks in six and two-thirds innings of work and struck out 10.

Junior right fielder Matt Fabian (Toronto, Ont.) laced a single to right with one out in the top of the ninth for Ithaca, before Clesas struck the next batter out to bring Feeney to the plate with two outs. The unlikely hero delivered with a booming triple just right of center as Fabian raced around the bases to untie the game and give the Bombers a 3-2 lead. 

Sophomore pinch-hitter Will Haskell (Natick, Mass.) hit a ball up the middle that the Ithaca shortstop couldn't handle, while ranging to his left to give Wheaton a chance in the bottom of the inning, but it was unable to take advantage.

The Bombers were able to string enough hits together in the seventh to come up with the game's first run. Merod led off with a single to left before moving to second on a sacrifice. Two batters later, Rothstein delivered the run with a single to center field on an 0-2 pitch. The Lyons responded in the bottom of the frame with a pair of runs. Matos beat out an infield single to second base and was moved to second on a sacrifice, before being lifted for sophomore pinch-runner Chris Taranto (Slingerlands, N.Y.). Taranto's stay on second was short-lived as Studley came through with a two-out single to right to bring him home with the tying run. Senior catcher Zach DeMattio (North Attleboro, Mass.) roped a liner to left that the Ithaca left fielder could not corral, enabling Studley to score the go-ahead run for a 2-1 edge.

First year second baseman Riley Brawdy (Rome, N.Y.) wasted no time in putting the Bombers in position to knot the game when he legged out a triple down the right field line to lead off the eighth. Following Young's 12th strikeout of the game, Shirley doubled to center field to make it 2-2. Clesas came on in relief for Wheaton and got the final two outs to limit the damage.

Lambert flirted with danger throughout the first six innings, allowing a Lyons' runner to reach second in five of those frames, including the fourth when Guindon opened the inning with a hustle double and went to third on a sacrifice with just one out. Studley drew a walk to put runners on the corners, but Lambert was able to get a key double-play with a bang-bang play at first to end the Wheaton threat.

The Lyons return to action today when they take on No. 10 Webster College at 2:45 p.m. at the Northeast Regional Park in Davenport, Fla., while plays Stevenson University tomorrow at the same place at 9:00 a.m.