AUBURNDALE, Fla. – The Wheaton College (Mass.) baseball team came up short in an 8-7 loss to Roger Williams University this morning at Lake Myrtle Sports Complex in Auburndale, Fla. as part of the RussMatt Central Baseball Invitational.  

The Lyons slip to 6-2 on the season, while the Hawks improve to 5-4.

There were three lead changes in the game with Roger Williams taking a 4-0 lead after the first inning, but Wheaton chipped away with a run in the third, two in the fourth and two in the top of the sixth to take a 5-4 edge. The Hawks knotted the game with a run in the bottom of the frame, before scoring three times in the seventh to take an 8-5 margin. The Lyons pulled within a run after scoring a pair in the eighth and had a runner in scoring position in the ninth, before Roger Williams got the game's final out to preserve the victory.

Sophomore right fielder Declan Lush (Seekonk, Mass.) was 2-5 with a run batted in and a double for Wheaton, while junior catcher Ty Bellan (Franklin, Mass.) knocked in a run and doubled in two at-bats to go with a walk and a run scored. Senior second baseman Marcus Rodrigues (LIncoln, R.I.) singled and drove in a career-high three runs and senior third baseman Ray Toth (Granby, Mass.) was 2-4 with a pair of doubles, two runs scored and a walk. Sophomore righty reliever Jack Cali (East Taunton, Mass.) took the loss to dip to 0-1 after giving up three runs on a hit and two walks, while fanning two batters in an inning of work.

Sophomore designated hitter Sam Arcieri (Westwood, N.J.) led the Hawks with a career-high four RBI backed by a 3-4 effort, including his first collegiate home run, a double and three runs scored. Senior catcher Braden Ventura (Swansea, Mass.) was 1-3 with a three-run homer, while junior left fielder Jack Tubman (Bellingham, Mass.) contributed by going 2-3 with a double, two runs scored and a walk. Sophomore righty reliever Casey DeLorenzo (East Greenwich, R.I.) earned the win after allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits and two walks to go with 10 strikeouts in five innings pitched to improve to 1-0.

The Lyons scored two runs in the top of the sixth to erase a 4-3 deficit and take a 5-4 lead. Sophomore shortstop Logan Downey (Warwick, R.I.) opened the frame with a single up the middle, before Toth drew a walk. First year first baseman Wyatt Soucie (North Yarmouth, Maine) put down a sacrifice bunt, but the throw to first was offline, enabling Downey to come around to score. Toth pulled into third and Soucie into second to establish both runners in scoring position with no outs and a 4-4 tie. Bellan worked a full-count, seven-pitch walk to load the bases to set up a fielder's choice from Rodrigues to shortstop that knocked in Toth with the go-ahead run for Wheaton. 

Roger Williams got a run back in the bottom of the frame to re-tie the game at 5-5. Arcieri smacked a double to left and later scored on a graduate student right fielder Rory Lynch (Easton, Mass.) single through the left side to pull the Hawks even.

Roger Williams added three more runs in the bottom of the seventh to take an 8-5 advantage. Sophomore third baseman Luke Miele (Wellesley, Mass.) and Tubman drew back-to-back walks to open the inning and, one out later, Arcieri hit a high fly ball to right field that just kept carrying until it landed over the fence for an opposite-field three-run homer. 

The Lyons remained resilient, getting a pair of runs in the eighth inning to close within a run. Soucie punched a one-out single through the right side and Bellan followed with a double down the left field line to put both runners in scoring position for Wheaton. Rodrigues came through with a two-run single up the middle to cut the deficit to 8-7. DeLorenzen re-grouped for the Hawks and induced  a fly out and fanned the next batter to limit the damage. 

The Lyons threatened to tie the game again in the ninth with Lush ripping a single through the left side to open the frame. He was lifted for first year pinch-runner Derek Babineau Jr. (Scituate, Mass.), who scampered to second on a wild pitch with no outs. DeLorenzen gutted out the final three outs with a fly out to center and consecutive strikeouts to end the game for Roger Williams with exactly 100 pitches in relief.

The Hawks rallied for four runs with two outs in the first inning to take a 4-0 lead. Tubman and graduate student first baseman Will Florio (San Jose, Calif.) each reached on singles, before Arcieri dumped a single into left field to plate Tubman with the game's first run. Ventura followed with a blast over everything in left field for a three-run long ball to give Roger Williams a four-run lead.

Junior center fielder Robbie Lamond (North Kingstown, R.I.) reached on an infield single in the top of the third, before advancing two bases on an errant pick-off throw to first base to put him on third with two outs. Lush followed with a double to the left-center gap to put Wheaton on the board at 4-1. 

The first three Lyons to step into the box all reached base to open the fourth inning, resulting in a run for Wheaton. Downey roped a single down the left field line, before Toth cracked his second double in as many at-bats to put both runners in scoring position. Soucie beat out a bunt to third base, while Downey scored the Lyons' second run. Bellan followed with a sacrifice fly to left field to bring home Toth to make it a one-run game at 4-3.

Wheaton returns to action on Thursday, March 19 when it hosts Bridgewater State University, while the Hawks take on Worcester Polytechnic Institute on March 17 at the New England Baseball Complex in Northborough, Mass. for a 3:30 p.m. first pitch.