DARTMOUTH, Mass. — The Wheaton College (Mass.) baseball team was edged in the bottom of the ninth, 7-6, by host University of Massachusetts Dartmouth this afternoon at Corsairs Field in Dartmouth, Mass.
The Lyons slip to 4-6 on the season, while the Corsairs improve to 7-5.
UMass Dartmouth trailed 6-1 through the first four innings of play, before rallying for four runs in the fifth and a run each in the eighth to pull even and the ninth to win it.
The teams combined for 23 hits, including 12 for Wheaton.
UMD pitching held Wheaton scoreless over the final five innings.
Sophomore third baseman Casey Wensley (Raynham, Mass.) led the Lyons' bats with a 2-5 day, including a double and a home run to go with three runs batted in and a run scored. Sophomore center fielder Robbie Lamond (North Kingstown, R.I.) was 2-4 with a homer, two RBI, a walk and two runs scored, while sophomore catcher Tyler Bellan (Franklin, Mass.) was 2-5 with a run batted in. Senior second baseman Tommy Beuregard (Salem, Mass.) also contributed, going 2-3 with a walk and a run scored. Senior righty reliever Liam Goldthwaite (Braintree, Mass.) suffered the loss to drop to 1-2 after allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits and a walk in one and two-thirds innings.
Graduate student catcher Matt Tempone (Smithtown, N.Y.) paced the Corsairs' offense with a 2-4 effort, while knocking three runs with a homer and a double to go with a walk and a run scored. Sophomore left fielder Marcus Ollivierre (Milton, Mass.) was 3-5 with the game-winning RBI and senior third baseman Jake San Antonio (Cranston, R.I.) also homered. Junior right-hander Geordan Jackson Murphy (Nadi, Fiji) picked up the win in relief, giving up one hit in the ninth inning to improve to 1-2 on the season.
UMass Dartmouth was down to its last out with no one on base and the game tied 6-6, before scoring to walk off with the victory. Sophomore Cooper Wixon (Plano, Texas) doubled to right center field, before Ollivierre delivered with a run-scoring single to right field to give the home team a 7-6 decision.
Wheaton wasted no time in getting on the board with Lamond hitting the second pitch of the game over the left-center field fence for his first collegiate long ball to lead off the game and give the Lyons a 1-0 edge.
Wheaton added two more runs in the top of the second to take a 3-0 lead after the first three batters in the inning reached safely. Senior left fielder Kevin Matos (Lawrence, Mass.) reached on a bunt single, before first year designated player Brandon Westerfield (Wakefield, R.I.) was hit by a pitch. Both runners moved into scoring position on a wild pitch to set up Bellan, who laced a single through the left side to drive in Matos with the second run of the game. Beauregard drew a one-out walk later in the frame to load the bases, before Lamond hit a sacrifice fly to left field to plate Westerfield and give the Lyons a three-run margin.
The Corsairs got a run back in the bottom of the inning to cut the deficit to 3-1. San Antonio reached on a fielder's choice and Olivierre followed with a single to center, before senior right fielder Scott Cromack (South Kingstown, R.I.) served a two-out single to center field to bring home San Antonio with UMass Dartmouth's first run of the day.
Wheaton added three more runs with one swing of the bat in the fourth to increase its advantage to 6-1. Beauregard singled to the right-center gap and Lamond reached on a fielder's choice to put a pair of runners on base for Wensley, who crushed a pitch over the right-center field fence for his first round-tripper of the year and a five-run cushion for the Lyons.
The Corsairs had their own success with the home run ball, clubbing two during a four-run fifth to pull them within 6-5 after five innings. Senior second baseman Devyn Vezina (Coventry, R.I.) and center fielder Brett Baker (Chelmsford, Mass.) each drew walks to open the frame. Two outs later, Tempone belted a homer over the fence in right-center field. San Antonio followed with a solo shot on the next pitch to make it a one-run ballgame.
UMass Dartmouth knotted the game at six in the bottom of the eighth after taking advantage of a Wheaton miscue. Cromack worked a rare walk off of Goldthwaite and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. The Lyons looked to get out of the inning unscathed, but a two-out fly ball to shallow left field was dropped, allowing Cromack to score the tying run.
Wheaton returns to action tomorrow when it hosts Nichols College for a 3:30 p.m. first pitch in the team's home opener at Sidell Stadium, while the Corsairs host Roger Williams University at 3:00 p.m. on the same day.
