DAVENPORT, Fla. – Senior designated hitter Collin Reilly (Marshfield, Mass.) hit a pair of three-run home runs and knocked in a career-high six runs to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) baseball team over Wesleyan University, 10-3, this afternoon at Northeast Regional Park in Davenport, Fla. as part of the RussMatt Central Baseball Invitational.
The Lyons improve to 2-0 on the season, while the Cardinals dip to 0-1 in their season opener.
Wheaton rapped out 15 hits in the game, while Wesleyan collected 10 hits, but left nine runners on base.
Reilly clouted the first two long balls of his career to become the 14th player in school history to hit two long balls in the same game and the first in program history to launch his first two homers in the same contest. Sophomore right fielder Declan Lush (Seekonk, Mass.) registered the first three-hit effort of his career, going 3-5 with a two-run homer, a run scored and a stolen base for the Lyons. First year Brayden Lewis (Hopedale, Mass.) collected the first two hits of his collegiate tenure, finishing the day going 2-2 with a run batted in, while junior center fielder Robbie Lamond (North Kingstown, R.I.) contributed with a double and single in four at-bats and a pair of runs scored to go with a stolen base. Junior right-handed reliever Braden Young (Foxborough, Mass.) tossed three innings of relief and faced just two batters over the minimum, hitting a pair of batters, but did not allow a hit or a walk to earn his first collegiate victory and improve to 1-0 on the season.
Kato Mangum led the Cardinals with a 2-3 effort to go with a run batted in and a stolen base, while Jake Acker was 2-4 with a double and a run scored. Sam Hensiger was also 2-4 with a double. Starting pitcher Cole Perkin suffered the loss to drop to 0-1 after allowing four runs on seven hits and a walk in four innings to go with three strikeouts and two hit batters.
Wheaton trailed 3-1 entering the home half of the fifth inning, before senior second baseman Marcus Rodrigues (Lincoln, R.I.) and Lamond both singled to open the frame. Reilly blasted a home run to left center field to give the Lyons the lead for good at 4-3. Wheaton tacked on another run in the inning with two outs. Senior third baseman Ray Toth (Granby, Mass.) singled over the third base bag to begin the two-out rally, before sophomore second baseman Logan Downey (Warwick, R.I.) pushed a bunt down the third base line and reached, while Toth took third on a bad throw to first to put runners on the corners. Lewis followed with a pinch-single that chopped over the infield to plate Toth to give the Lyons a 5-3 margin.
Wheaton added five more runs in the bottom of the eighth to increase its advantage to 10-3. Reilly provided the Lyons with some breathing room with a towering fly ball that carried over the left-center fence to plate three runs with his second homer of the day and give Wheaton a five-run cushion. Sophomore first baseman Brandon Westerfield (Wakefield, R.I.) dumped a single into right field and trotted home ahead of a Lush two-run round tripper over the left-center field fence to make it 10-3.
Wesleyan scored the first two runs of the game in the top of the first inning. Acker ripped a double down the left field line and later scored when Jonah Timmons singled through the left side and the throw to first wasn't handled. Timmons later scored from second on a single to right field off the bat of Mangum to give the Cardinals a 2-0 lead.
The Lyons got a run back in the bottom of the second to cut the deficit in half. Downey reached on a fielder's choice, stole second and later came around to score on a two-out single to right-center field off the bat of junior catcher Ty Bellan (Franklin, Mass.).
Wesleyan restored its two-run margin with a run in the top of the fourth to make it 3-1. Marcus Jang reached on an infield error to open the frame and Oliver Kwan later reached on an infield single after he hit a ball ticketed for center field that hit the umpire. Acker followed with a shallow single to left field, but the ball got away from the Wheaton left fielder and Jang scored to give the Cardinals their final run of the game and a 3-1 lead.
The Lyons return to action tomorrow when they take on Lakeland University at Lake Myrtle Sports Complex in Auburndale, Fla. at 10:15, a.m., while Wesleyan plays Dickinson College in a 2:00 p.m. doubleheader tomorrow in Auburndale.
