AUBURNDALE, Fla. – Sophomore starting pitcher Ryan McCarroll (Clifton Park, N.Y.) allowed just one run in seven and two-thirds innings and junior right fielder Tommy Ambrosone (Hopkinton, Mass.) cranked a three-run double to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) baseball team to a 4-2 victory over Benedictine University (Ill.) this morning at Lake Myrtle Park in Auburndale, Fla. as part of the RussMatt Invitational. 

The Lyons win their sixth straight game to improve to 8-2 on the season, while the Eagles, who received votes in the most recent D3baseball.com national poll, fall to 9-5.

The teams staged a classic pitcher's duel with each starter trading zeroes through the first six innings, before Wheaton broke through with four runs in the seventh. Benedictine scored single runs in both the eighth and ninth innings before the Lyon bullpen closed the door.

McCarroll scattered seven hits and issued a pair of walks to go with seven strikeouts to improve to 2-1 on the season for Wheaton. Ambrosone also walked in the game. Junior center fielder AJ Guindon (Coventry, R.I.) was 2-4, while sophomore first baseman Anthony Teberio (Andover, Mass.) was 1-3 with a run batted in, a run scored on a base on balls. Senior shortstop Cavan Brady (Sheffield, Mass.) doubled in the game for the Lyons.

Junior designated hitter Brennan Fisher (Westchester, Ill.) paced the Eagles offense with a 2-4 effort, including a double and an RBI, while graduate student first baseman Kevin Bushnell (Tinley Park, Ill.) collected three hits in four trips to the plate. Senior second baseman Ryan Doubek (Palos Heights, Ill.) was 2-5 with a run scored. Senior righty starter Nick Kosmetatos (Bartlett, Ill.) suffered the loss to drop to 1-1 on the year after giving up four runs on four hits and four walks in addition to four strikeouts in seven innings of work.

Wheaton had been held to just one hit through the first six innings, before scoring all of its runs in the top of the seventh on three hits and two walks to take a 4-0 lead. Brady doubled to left center field, before sophomore left fielder Kevin Matos (Lawrence, Mass.) was intentionally walked with two outs to effectively end his seven-game hitting streak. Teberio came through with a bloop single to right field to plate Brady with the game's first run. Junior designated player Will Haskell (Natick, Mass.) worked a walk to load the bases and bring Ambrosone up to the plate. The left-handed hitter lifted a fly ball over the Benedictine center fielder, who was playing in, and ended up on second with a double, while all three runners crossed the plate to give the Lyons a four-run advantage.

The Eagles got on the board with a run in the eighth to cut the deficit to 4-1. Doubek led off the frame with a single down the left field line and later scored on a two-out single to left field off the bat of Fisher.

Benedictine looked to rally in the ninth, but managed just one run to fall short.

Senior Zach Nichols (Chicopee, Mass.) came in to close it out for Wheaton and promptly retired the first two batters he faced before Eagle sophomore Cole Wilson (Rosemont, Ill.) singled to right and first year Justin Nonnenmann (Naperville, Ill.) worked a walk to push Wilson into scoring position. Wilson scored on an error by the Lyon shortstop, before Nichols fanned his second batter of the inning to gain his first collegiate save.

Wheaton returns to action on Tuesday, March 21 when it hosts University of Massachusetts Dartmouth at Sidell Stadium for a 3:30 p.m. first pitch, while Benedictine hosts Lakeland University for a twinbill on April 1 at Noon.