AUBURNDALE, Fla. – The Wheaton College (Mass.) baseball team rallied for a run in the ninth, but ultimately fell short in a 10-9 loss to University of Rochester this afternoon at the Lake Myrtle Sports Complex's Mickey Etherton Field in Auburndale, Fla. as part of the RussMatt Central Baseball Invitational.
The Lyons slip to 4-1 with their first loss of the season, while the Yellowjackets have won three in a row and improve to 6-1.
Wheaton came into the game having trailed in all four of their first four contests, but rallied for comeback wins in all of them. The Lyons faced a 6-1 deficit in the fifth inning, but scored five runs to knot the game at 6-6. Rochester put three more runs on the board to take a 9-6 lead, but again, Wheaton responded to cut the margin to 9-8. The Yellowjackets again looked to put more distance between themselves and the Lyons with a run in the bottom of the eighth, but Wheaton countered with a run in the ninth to pull within a run at 10-9 and had runners on first and third with just one out in what looked like another bid for a comeback. The threat was quelled with a hard hit ball to third that turned into a 5-4-3 double play to end the game.
Sophomore first baseman Brandon Westerfield (Wakefield, R.I.) led the Lyons with a 2-2 day at the plate that saw him drive in a career-high three runs, while senior designated hitter Collin Reilly (Marshfield, Mass.) extended his hitting streak to five games to start the season with his fourth multi-hit outing, going 2-5 with a pair of RBI and a run scored. Sophomore right fielder Declan Lush (Seekonk, Mass.) knocked in two runs and was 2-5 with a run scored. Junior center fielder Robbie Lamond (North Kingstown, R.I.) was one of six Wheaton hitters with multiple hits on the day, going 2-4 with a double and three runs scored. Junior right-handed relief pitcher Braden Young (Foxborough, Mass.) was saddled with the loss to drop to 1-1 after giving up three runs on five hits in two and a third innings of work to go with three strikeouts.
First year third baseman Ryan Huckabone (Newton, Mass.) led Rochester's offense, going 3-4 with four RBI, a double and a run scored. First year second baseman Carlos Barajas (Knoxville, Tenn.) was 2-4 with a pair of runs batted in and a run scored and junior shortstop Sammy Besztery (Chicago, Ill.) was 2-5 with an RBI, a run scored and a double. Sophomore righty reliever Theo Beckley (Evergreen, Colo.) picked up the win to improve to 1-0 after allowing two unearned runs on three hits to go with a strikeout in two innings pitched. First year reliever Sam Loeb (Mandeville, La.) picked up his third save following two innings of one-run ball on three hits and a strikeout.
Lamond and senior first baseman Justin Colpack (Easthampton, Mass.) sandwiched singles around a fly out to open the top of the ninth and put runners on first and second with the Lyons trailing by two runs. Lush came through with a single down the left field line to score Lamond and send first year pinch-runner Derek Babineau Jr. (Scituate, Mass.) to third, representing the tying run. First year left fielder Brayden Lewis (Hopedale, Mass.) hit a hard ground ball to third base, but Huckabone fielded it cleanly to start a 5-4-3 double play to end the threat and the game.
Wheaton cracked the scoring column in the top of the first to take a 1-0 edge. Lamond ripped a double down the line, before Westerfield singled through the left side to bring Lamond around to score the first run of the day.
The Yellowjackets got the run back, plus two more in the bottom of the second to take a 3-1 lead. Rochester loaded the bases with one out, before Huckabone laced a single up the middle to plate sophomore Benjamin Garber (Las Vegas, Nev.), who opened the inning by reaching on an error, with the tying run. Junior Luke Blozy (Brooklyn, N.Y.) kept the rally going with a two-run single to the left-center gap to follow and make it 3-1.
The Yellowjackets continued to roll threes with a trio of runs in the bottom of the fourth to inflate their cushion to 6-1. First year center fielder Teddy Monahan (Wayne, Pa.) singled up the middle and Huckabone doubled down the left field line to bring Monahan around to score. One out later, Barajas dumped a single into left field to score Huckabone to increase the advantage to 5-1. Besztery lifted a single to center field later in the frame to plate Barajas and give Rochester a seemingly comfortable five-run lead.
As they have done all season, the Lyons roared back with five runs in the fifth to knot the game at 6-6. Sophomore shortstop Logan Downey (Warwick, R.I.) and Lamond bookended a single from senior second baseman Marcus Rodrigues (Lincoln, R.I.) by each getting hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out. Reilly delivered an RBI single to left and Westerfield hit a deep sacrifice fly to center to bring home Downey and Rodrigues to make it a one-run game. Lush followed with a run-scoring single through the right side to drive Lamond in from second to tie the game at six-all.
The Yellowjackets wasted no time in responding with three runs in the bottom of the inning to take a 9-6 margin. Rochester loaded the bases after First year first baseman Jake Bentivenga (Wilmette, Ill.) smacked a lead-off single to left and First year designated hitter Will Webster (Boston, Mass.) and Monahan followed with bunt singles. Huckabone came through again with a two-run single to left center field to make it 8-6. Barajas gave the Yellowjackets an insurance run later in the inning with a sacrifice fly to left field for a three-run lead.
Wheaton answered the bell again in the top of the sixth with a pair of runs to pull within 9-8. Junior catcher Ty Bellan (Franklin, Mass.) reached on a fielder's choice and Rodrigues reached on an error, before Reilly knocked in Bellan with a two-out single to left field. Rodrigues also scored when Westerfield poked a single to right field, but Reilly was thrown out trying to go to third base to end the frame.
Rochester tacked on what proved to be the most important run of the game in the bottom of the eighth to take a 10-8 margin. Besztery led off the inning with a double to left field, before moving to third on a bunt. Bentivenga hit a sacrifice fly to center field as Besztery scampered home with the Yellowjackets' 10th run.
The Lyons return to action tomorrow at 5:15 p.m. when they play Vassar College at Chain of Lakes Park in Winter Haven, Fla., while Rochester plays Dickinson College in a twinbill at 9:30 a.m. in Winter Haven.
