EAST BOSTON, Mass. — Senior right fielder Tommy Ambrosone (Hopkinton, Mass.) knocked in three runs and junior starting pitcher Ryan McCarroll (Clifton Park, N.Y.) allowed just one run on two hits through five innings to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) baseball team to an 8-5 victory over host Emerson College in the first game of a New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference doubleheader this afternoon at Memorial Park in East Boston, Mass.
The Lyons improve to 10-6 overall and 4-1 in league play, while the Lions fall to 3-15 and 0-5.
Emerson out-hit Wheaton, 10-9, but the Lyons reached base via the base on balls 11 times and had two batters reach after being hit by a pitch.
Wheaton jumped out to a 6-0 lead after two innings, including four runs in the second. The Lions got on the board with a single run in the third, before the Lyons countered with a pair of runs in the top of the sixth to take a seven-run advantage. Emerson rallied for two runs each in the seventh and ninth to make it a three-run game.
Ambrosone was 2-5 with a walk, a stolen base and two runs scored and McCarroll struck out 11 and walked four, while improving to 4-1 on the season. First year third baseman Casey Wensley (Raynham, Mass.) was 2-4 with two runs batted in, a walk and a run scored in addition to one of four stolen bases swiped by the Lyons in the contest. Senior shortstop Mike Maher (Jefferson, Mass.) was 2-4 with a double, a walk, an RBI, a stolen base and a run scored and junior left fielder Kevin Matos (Lawrence, Mass.) reached base four times with three walks and a triple.
Junior second baseman Briggs Loveland (Burleson, Texas) led the Lion offense, going 1-3 with a stolen base and three runs batted in, while junior center fielder Nicholas Favazzo (Lexington, Mass.) was 2-5 with an RBI and a pair of runs scored. Graduate student first baseman Chris Ferara (Coral Springs, Fla.) knocked in a run with a pair of hits and graduate student left fielder Anthony Santosuosso (Arlington, Mass.) scored a pair of runs and collected two singles. Graduate student starting pitcher Aidan Rice (Columbus, Ohio) was charged with the loss to dip to 0-3 after giving up six runs (five earned) on four hits and five walks to go with a strikeout in two innings.
Wheaton used its patience to its advantage in the first inning when they loaded the bases on singles from senior center fielder AJ Guindon (Coventry, R.I.) and Ambrosone and a walk drawn by Matos. Wensley followed with a base on balls to force in the first run of the game with two outs. Junior designated hitter Anthony Teberio (Andover, Mass.) was issued a free pass to push across the Lyons' second run.
Wheaton was quick to double its lead in the second when junior second baseman Tommy Beauregard (Salem, Mass.) drew a lead-off walk and stole second, before Guindon reached on an error to put both runners in scoring position. Ambrosone made the miscue hurt when he ripped a single down the right field line to plate both runners and give the Lyons a 4-0 margin. Maher doubled home Ambrosone and later scored on a fielder's choice when he beat the throw to the plate to score Wheaton's sixth run.
Emerson got on the board with a run in the third to cut the deficit to 6-1. Favazzo singled down the left field line and took second when the ball wasn't handled cleanly by the left fielder. One out later, Ferara delivered with an RBI single to center field to plate Favazzo.
The Lyons added their final two runs of the game in the sixth to increase their cushion to 8-1. The first three batters all reached to load the bases with no outs after Wensley stung a single to center, Teberio worked a walk and first year catcher Tyler Bellan (Franklin, Mass.) was hit by a pitch. Guindon drew the third run-scoring walk of the day by a Wheaton hitter and Ambrosone knocked in the final run with a fielder's choice.
The Lions scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh to cut the deficit to 8-3. Senior catcher Jake Okamoto (Placentia, Calif.) and Santosuosso collected back-to-back singles to open the frame, before being moved into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. Favazzo reached on an infield single deep in the hole at shortstop to drive in Okamoto, before Loveland brought home Santosuosso with a sacrifice fly to center field.
Emerson added two more runs in the ninth to pull within 8-5. Santosuosso and first year Braeden O'Connell (Boxford, Mass.) kept hope alive for the home team with consecutive one-out singles, before Loveland singled home both runners with the fourth and fifth runs of the game for the Lions.
