NEW LONDON, Conn. — The Wheaton College (Mass.) baseball team spotted host United States Coast Guard Academy eight first inning runs, but chipped away and ultimately came away with a 9-8 victory after first year shortstop Evan Jones (West Haven, Conn.) singled home the eventual-game winning run in the top of the 10th in the opening game of a New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference doubleheader today at Nitchman Field in New London, Conn.
The Lyons improve to 20-8 overall and 8-3 in NEWMAC play, while the Bears dip to 10-15 and 4-7. The win gives Wheaton at least 20 victories in all 28 non-COVID seasons of the program's history.
First year left fielder Brayden Lewis (Hopedale, Mass.) blasted a three-run home run in the top of the sixth to pull the Lyons even at 8-8 and erase the eight-run deficit, before Jones gave Wheaton the lead for good in the 10th.
The Lyons pounded out 10 hits, while Coast Guard collected 13 base knocks.
Wheaton entered the sixth facing an 8-4 deficit. Senior third baseman Ray Toth (Granby, Mass.) drew a full-count walk, before junior catcher Ty Bellan (Franklin, Mass.) laced a single through the right side to put runners on the corners with one out. Jones reached on an infield error that enabled Toth to score and make it a three-run difference. Senior second baseman Marcus Rodrigues (Lincoln, R.I.) reached on a fielder's choice, before Lewis launched his team-leading seventh homer of the season over the left-center field fence to knot the count at 8-8.
The Lyons manufactured the final run of the game in the 10th. First year right fielder Derek Babineau Jr. (Scituate, Mass.) worked a lead-off walk, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt, before taking third on a ground out to shortstop. Jones ripped a two-out single up the middle to give Wheaton the lead.
Lewis was 2-5 with three runs batted in to go with a round tripper, a double, a stolen base and a run scored, while Evans knocked in a pair of runs. Sophomore designated hitter Logan Downey (Warwick, R.I.) was 3-5 with a double and a run scored. The Lyons' bullpen was outstanding, hurling six innings of two-hit shutout ball to close out the contest. Senior southpaw Evan Mello (New Bedford, Mass.) earned the victory to improve to 2-1 after giving up just one hit and fanning three batters in two and a third innings pitched. Senior lefty reliever Josh Fischer (Plymouth, Mass.) picked up his fourth save of the year after setting down the Bears, in order, including a strikeout in the 10th. Sophomore right-handed relief pitcher Jack Cali (East Taunton, Mass.) took over in the fifth, before pitching into the seventh and surrendered just one hit and two walks to go with a pair of strikeouts in two and two-thirds innings.
Junior first baseman Nate Stafford (Jupiter, Fla.) paced Coast Guard, going 2-5 with two doubles, two RBI, a walk and a stolen base and senior third baseman Luke Percifield (Pinellas Park, Fla.) was 2-5 with a double, a run scored and two runs batted in. First year shortstop Yadisson Karbalaieasghar (Coral Springs, Fla.) contributed with a 2-5 effort in addition to knocking in a run and scoring a run. First year righty reliever Alexander Smith (Fairfield, Ohio) was saddled with the loss after giving up a run on two hits and a pair of walks in three and a third innings.
The Bears took advantage of a pair of Wheaton errors in the bottom of the first to score eight runs, including seven unearned. Junior second baseman Carson Cho (Haymarket, Va.) reached on an error to open the frame, before a Stafford double put both runners in scoring position. Sophomore left fielder Max Van Auken (Franklinville, N.J.) reached on an infield single to knock in Cho with the game's first run. Stafford and Van Auken both moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt to set up Karbalaieasghar for an RBI infield single. Junior catcher Ayden Gurevich (Lake Worth Beach, Fla.) also reached on an infield error with Van Auken scoring the third run of the game on the play. Percifield took advantage of the earlier miscues by the Lyons to drive in a pair of runs with a double down the right field line and give the home team a 5-0 cushion. First year right fielder Peter Karloutsos (Ridgefield, Conn.) singled home Coast Guard's sixth run, before Stafford's second at-bat of the inning resulted in his second double, which plated the final two runs of the contest for the Bears.
Wheaton began chipping away at the deficit with a pair of runs in the second to make it 8-2. The Lyons loaded the bases with Downey serving a lead-off single to center and Babineau and Toth both drawing walks with one out. Downey scampered home on a wild pitch and Babineau scored on a sacrifice fly to right field off the bat of Bellan.
Wheaton tacked on two more runs in the third to cut Coast Guard's total in half. Rodrigues opened the frame with a single to left, before senior first baseman Collin Reilly (Marshfield, Mass.) reached on a fielder's choice. Both runners moved into scoring position on a passed ball and then took another base with another passed ball, allowing Rodrigues to score. Junior center fielder Robbie Lamond (North Kingstown, R.I.) kept the two-out rally alive with a single to left to plate Reilly with the Lyons' fourth run.
Meanwhile, Wheaton's pen retired nine of the last 10 batters it faced in the eighth, ninth and 10th innings after Lewis' blast tied the game.
The teams will meet again for game two of the NEWMAC twinbill.
