MILLBURY, Mass. — The Wheaton College (Mass.) baseball team dropped the first game of a doubleheader to visiting Nichols College, 14-3, this afternoon at the Shaw Elementary School baseball field in Millbury, Mass.
The Lyons dip to 7-3, while the Bison improve to 5-5.
Nichols scored 11 runs in the first three innings of the game, including six in the second frame and finished the contest with 12 hits. Wheaton committed three errors in the game.
First year left fielder Brayden Lewis (Hopedale, Mass.) paced the Lyons at the plate, going 2-4 with two RBI, while senior first baseman Collin Reilly (Marshfield, Mass.) was 3-4 with a double, a run batted in and a run scored. Wheaton used six different pitchers, including junior starting pitcher Greg Strite (San Jose, Calif.), who was charged with the loss after giving up eight runs (seven earned) on three hits and six walks in an inning and one-third to drop to 1-1 on the season.
Sophomore first baseman Collin Harty (Whitinsville, Mass.) (4 RBI), junior second baseman Anthony Hackert (Danbury, Conn.) (3 RBI) and sophomore right fielder Tyler Ladouceur (Bellingham, Mass.) (3 RBI) combined to knock in 10 runs and graduate student starting pitcher Clark Churchill (Windsor, Conn.) did not allow a walk in a complete game victory to lead the Bison. Harty's big blow came on a three-run homer, while Hackert and Ladouceur both had two hits in the game. Ladouceur also drew a pair of walks and scored two runs. Churchill gave up three runs in the first three frames and did not allow a run over the final six and a third innings. He fanned seven batters and gave up eight hits to improve to 2-1 on the season.
Sophomore left fielder Ryan Keating (Wilbraham, Mass.) drew a lead-off walk and senior third baseman Julian Galvan (Torrance, Calif.) singled, before both moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt. Ladouceur put Nichols on the board with an infield single to score Keating and Galvan came around as well when the throw to first was wide to try and get Ladouceur at first. Harty reached on a fielder's choice to shortstop with Ladouceur scoring on the play after having advanced to third on the earlier throwing error.
The Lyons got a run back in the bottom of the inning after senior second baseman Marcus Rodrigues (Lincoln, R.I.) opened the frame with a single through the right side and later came around to score Wheaton's first run on a single to left off the bat of Lewis to cut the deficit to 3-1.
The Bison took advantage of four walks in the second inning to help fuel a six-run outburst to break the game open early. Senior catcher Kyle Birks (East Longmeadow, Mass.), Keating and Galvan worked consecutive walks to load the bases with one out, before an infield single to shortstop from Hackert plated Birks with Nichols' fourth run of the game. Ladouceur also drew a walk to force in the fifth run. One out later it looked like the Lyons might limit the damage to just two runs in the frame, but the pitcher wasn't able to handle the throw back from the catcher, allowing Galvan to scamper home from third. Harty continued the pain for Wheaton with a three-run blast over the left field fence to give the visitors a 9-1 advantage.
The Bison tacked on two more runs in the top of the third to enjoy an 11-1 cushion early in the game. Birks and Keating began the inning with back-to-back singles to put runners on the corners. One out later, the pair pulled off a double-steal with Birks scoring Nichols' 10th run on the front end of the theft. Down to their final out in the frame, Ladouceur came through again, ripping a single down the right field line to drive in Keating with the 11th run.
The Lyons responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning to pull within 11-3. Lamond singled to center field and scored all the way from first on a double down the right field line from Reilly to make it 11-2. Sophomore right fielder Declan Lush (Seekonk, Mass.) followed with a single to right and Lewis reached on a fielder's choice to bring home Reilly with Wheaton's final run of the contest.
Churchill kept the Lyons' offense in check, throwing 108 pitches, including 83 for strikes.
The Bison added three more runs, for good measure, in the ninth to give them 14 runs. Keating knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly and Hackert served a two-run single to center to cap the scoring for Nichols.
The teams will play again in game two of the doubleheader.
