NORTON, Mass. — The Wheaton College (Mass.) baseball team rallied for eight runs late in the game to erase a one-run deficit, en-route to a 12-9 victory over visiting Clark University (Mass.) this afternoon in the nightcap to complete a sweep of a New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference twinbill at Sidell Stadium on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.
The Lyons have won five in a row and eight of their last 10 to improve to 14-6 overall and 8-1 in league play, while the Cougars fall to 17-11 and 2-7.
Wheaton trailed its guests, 5-4, before scoring five runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a 9-5 lead. Clark cut the deficit to 9-6 with a run in the eighth, before the Lyons responded with three runs in the bottom of the frame to take a 12-6 advantage. The Cougars rallied for three runs in the ninth, but could not pull even.
Wheaton pounded out 14 hits to record double-digits for the third time in four games and 10 times for the season. The Lyons took advantage of three errors, four wild pitches and a passed ball as well.
Junior second baseman Tommy Beauregard (Salem, Mass.) was one of five Wheaton hitters to register a double in the game and finished 2-4 with two runs batted in and a run scored. Senior shortstop Mike Maher (Jefferson, Mass.) reached base all five times that he stepped into the box, going 3-3 with a double, three runs scored and a pair of walks, while junior first baseman Timmy Wagner (Hingham, Mass.) matched his output in game one with three more hits in four at-bats to go with an RBI. Senior center fielder AJ Guindon (Coventry, R.I.) was 2-4 with a double, two runs scored and a walk from the top of the order. Junior righty Jackson Walsh (Cumberland, R.I.) picked up his second win of the day in relief to improve to 4-0 after giving up two runs (one earned) on four hits in two and a third innings pitched. Senior reliever Liam Goldthwaite (Braintree, Mass.) earned his second save of the year with a hitless ninth that saw him strike out a batter.
Junior catcher Ryan Bonja (Sturbridge, Mass.) led the Clark bats, going 2-4 with a home run, a double and three runs batted in to go with two runs scored. Senior second baseman Billy Sullivan (Hicksille, N.Y) also hit a long ball for the visitors and knocked in two runs, while going 3-4 with a run scored. Graduate student left fielder Ryan Caulfield (Simsbury, Conn.) contributed going 2-5 with two RBI. Junior reliever Gavin Belt (Amesbury, Mass.) was unable to get an out and allowed four runs on three hits and a walk to drop to 0-1 with the loss.
The Lyons took advantage of a pair of errors, three wild pitches, a passed ball and an errant pick-off throw to score five runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a 9-5 lead. The first five Wheaton batters all reached with four of them scoring to open the frame. First year catcher Tyler Bellan (Franklin, Mass.) laced a double down the left field line to open the inning, before he scored ahead of a single from Beauregard and an error on the play to knot the game at 5-5. Guindon singled and senior right fielder Tommy Ambrosone (Hopkinton, Mass.) drew a walk to load the bases. Beauregard and Guindon later scored on separate wild pitches and Ambrosone scored after Maher had walked and a throw over to first on a pick-off attempt was wide of the bag. Maher later scored on a wild pitch as well to give Wheaton a four-run advantage.
The Cougars got a run back in the eight on a solo home run that carried over the right field fence from Sullivan, but the Lyons countered with three runs in the bottom of the inning to increase their cushion to 12-6. Guindon smacked a leadoff double to center field and later scored when Ambrosone reached on an error. Maher pushed a bunt single down the third base line and Ambrosone scored on a passed ball to give the home team an 11-6 margin. First year third baseman Casey Wensley (Raynham, Mass.) capped the scoring for Wheaton with an RBI single dumped into the right field to plate Maher with the 12th run.
Clark wasted no time getting three runs closer with sophomore third baseman Dom Mariani (Walpole, Mass.) reaching on an infield single to open the top of the ninth and junior center fielder Carter Doran (Natick, Mass.) getting awarded first base after being hit by a pitch. Bonja launched his fifth homer of the season over the left-center field fence to pull the Cougars within 12-9, but it was the final run of the day for the visitors.
The Lyons scored twice in the second to crack the scoring column and put two more runs on the board in the third to take a 4-0 lead. Beauregard lifted a double to right field to plate the first two runs of the game for Wheaton in the second. Ambrosone and Maher opened the third with back-to-back singles to put runners on the corners, before Matos knocked in Ambrosone with a ground out. Wagner came through with an RBI single through the left side to drive in Maher with the fourth run of the game for the Lyons.
Clark got on the board when sophomore first baseman Brayden Hollinrake (Goffstown, N.H.) and Sullivan cracked consecutive doubles to put both runners in scoring position with one out. Caulfield grounded out to push Hollinrake across with the visitors' first run to make it 4-1.
The Cougars rallied for four runs in the sixth to take a one-run margin at 5-4. Bonja and junior shortstop Tyler Jones (West Haven, Conn.) were each plunked with a pitch and sophomore pinch-hitter Jake Faulkenham (Chelmsford, Mass.) drew a walk to load the bases with one out. Bonja later scored on a come-backer that the Wheaton pitcher couldn't handle and Hollinrake belted a sacrifice fly to bring home Jones to make it a one-run game at 4-3. Clark took their only lead of the game at 5-4 on back-to-back run-scoring singles from Sullivan and Caulfield.
The Lyons return to the diamond on Tuesday, April 16 when they host United States Coast Guard Academy in a NEWMAC contest at Sidell Stadium for a 3:30 p.m. first pitch, while the Cougars head to Newport, R.I. on the same day for a 3:00 p.m. tilt with conference foe Salve Regina University.
