NORTON, Mass. — Sophomore starting pitcher Greg Strite (San Jose, Calif.) hurled six innings of shutout ball to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) baseball team over visiting Brandeis University, 5-1, this afternoon at Sidell Stadium on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.
The Lyons improve to 7-7 on the season, while the Judges slip to 8-9.
The Wheaton bats collected 11 hits and the pitching did not allow a run until the seventh inning.
The Lyons got all the runs they would need with one in the first and two in the second to take a 3-0 lead and capped the scoring with a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh.
Strite allowed just four hits to go with a pair of walks and three strikeouts to earn the victory and improve to 2-0 on the season for Wheaton. Senior left fielder Kevin Matos (Lawrence, Mass.) was 3-3 with a walk and a double, while senior second baseman Tommy Beauregard (Salem, Mass.) was 3-4 at the plate, scored a run and stole a base. Senior first baseman Timmy Wagner (Hingham, Mass.) also registered multiple hits with two in four at-bats, including a double, and knocked in a run. Sophomore catcher Tyler Bellan (Franklin, Mass.) came through with a two-run double as well.
First year third baseman Ben Kuja (Madison, Conn.) paced Brandeis at the plate, going 3-5 with a double and an RBI, while first year catcher Keith Lee (Milford, Mass.) was 2-3 with a walk and a run scored. First year left-handed starter Keni Franck (Harrison, N.Y.) took the loss to drop to 1-1 after yielding three runs (one earned) on four hits and a walk to go with a strikeout in one and two-thirds innings pitched. First year righty Rohan Shah (Hicksville, N.Y.) pitched well in relief, giving up four hits in three and a third scoreless innings of work, while fanning three batters and issuing two walks.
The Lyons got on the board right away with a single run in the bottom of the first to take a 1-0 edge. Beauregard drew a lead-off walk, before advancing to second on a pick off throw that was off the mark and to third on a fly out to center field. Wagner came through with a two-out double down the left field line to bring home Beauregard with the game's first run.
Wheaton tacked on two more runs in the second to increase its lead to 3-0. Bellan reached on a fielder's choice and scored when junior shortstop Ray Toth (Granby, Mass.) ripped a single through the side that got by the right fielder, allowing Toth to circle the bases with the Lyons' second run. Toth also scored on a sacrifice fly to center field off the bat of first year right fielder Dwayne Burgo Jr. (Taunton, Mass.).
The bats were quiet for both teams until the seventh when they combined for three runs, including two from Wheaton in the bottom of the frame. Lee opened the top half of the inning with a single through the left side, before sophomore Connor Crowley (Guilford, Conn.) kept the inning alive with a two-out single to left field. Kuja laced a single up the middle to plate Lee and put the Judges on the board with their only run of the afternoon.
Wagner and first year pinch-hitter Brandon Westerfield (Wakefield, R.I.) worked back-to-back walks, before moving into scoring position on a wild pitch for the Lyons. Matos was intentionally walked to load the bases and bring the Brandeis infield in for a play at the plate, but Bellan belted a double to left center to score both Wagner and Westerfield with the final runs of the day and give the home team a 5-1 advantage.
Wheaton returns to action on Tuesday, March 25 when it hosts Worcester Polytechnic Institute in the New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference opener at Sidell Stadium at 3:30 p.m., while Brandeis hosts Lasell University on March 26 at 6:00 p.m.
