NORTON, Mass. — Senior first baseman Collin Reilly (Marshfield, Mass.) drove in three runs, including the game-winner in the bottom of the ninth to give the Wheaton College (Mass.) baseball team a 6-5 victory over visiting Roger Williams University this afternoon at Sidell Stadium on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.
The Lyons have won three of their last four and improve to 23-10 on the season, while the Hawks fall to 15-18.
Roger Williams took a 3-0 lead after scoring twice in the second and once in the third inning, before Wheaton rallied for three runs in the bottom of the third to knot the game at 3-3. The Lyons took their first lead of the day with a run in the fourth, but the Hawks matched with a run of their own in the top of the fifth to keep the game tied at 4-4. Roger Williams looked to come away with the dramatic win with a run in the top of the ninth, but Wheaton scored twice in the bottom of the inning to record its 11th come-from-behind victory of the season and the fourth walk-off win.
Reilly was 2-4 on the day for the Lyons, while first year designated hitter Luca Finton (Pocasset, Mass.) was 2-4 with a double and an RBI for the first two hits of his collegiate career. Sophomore second baseman Logan Downey (Warwick, R.I.) tripled and knocked in a run. Junior right-hander Greg Strite (San Jose, Calif.) was credited with the win to improve to 2-2 after giving up a run on a walk to go with a strikeout in a hitless frame. Junior righty reliever John DeBarber (Seymour, Conn.) kept Wheaton in the game with two hitless frames of scoreless ball that saw him fan three batters.
Senior center fielder Noah Hester (Old Saybrook, Conn.) paced the Hawks at the plate with a 2-5 effort and a run batted in. Junior left fielder Jack Tubman (Bellingham, Mass.) hit a home run and scored a pair of runs, while graduate student right fielder Rory Lynch (Easton, Conn.) was 1-4 with a double and an RBI. Senior right-handed reliever Dylan Brenner (Andover, Mass.) suffered the loss to drop to 1-2 after yielding three runs on four hits and three walks in six innings of work.
The Lyons faced a 5-4 deficit in the bottom of the ninth, before loading the bases with two outs. Finton reached on a fielder's choice, before being lifted for sophomore pinch-runner Declan Lush (Seekonk, Mass.). First year center fielder Derek Babineau Jr. (Scituate, Mass.) chopped a slow roller to the RWU second baseman and was able to reach with an infield single to keep the inning alive. First year left fielder Brayden Lewis (Hopedale, Mass.) did not see a pitch he could hit, sans a 3-0 called strike, before drawing a walk to load the bases for Reilly. The senior was down 0-2 quickly in the count, before taking a close pitch for a ball. He blooped the fourth pitch he saw into shallow center field with the runners all running on contact. Lush and Babineau Jr. both scored on the play to give Wheaton the victory.
The first five batters all reached in the top of the second, resulting in two runs for Roger Williams. Tubman reached on an error, before sophomore third baseman Casey DeLorenzo (East Greenwich, R.I.) singled through the left side. Senior catcher Elvin Espinal (Union, N.J.) came through with an RBI single through the left side to put the visitors on the board. Lynch ripped a double down the left field line later in the inning to plate Espinal and give the Hawks a 2-0 margin.
Tubman clubbed a 2-0 pitch over the fence with two outs in the top of the third for his fifth homer of the year and a 3-0 Roger Williams' lead.
The Lyons answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning to pull even at 3-3. Babineau Jr. reached on a fielder's choice and Lewis worked a full-count walk, before both runners moved into scoring position on a passed ball. Reilly delivered with a sacrifice fly to center field to drive in Wheaton's first marker of the afternoon. Downey lifted a two-out triple into no man's land in the right center field gap to knock in Lewis to make it a one-run game. Sophomore shortstop Jeremy Aylward (Hingham, Mass.) followed with an RBI single to right center to score Downey and tie the game.
The Lyons took their first lead of the game when senior third baseman Ray Toth (Granby, Mass.) opened the fourth with a single down the left field line. He moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and came around to score on a double to right center off the bat of Finton to register his first career RBI.
The Hawks re-tied the game with a run in the fifth to make it 4-4. Sophomore second baseman Luke Miele (Wellesley, Mass.) drew a full-count walk, stole second and scored when Hester dumped a single into center field.
The bullpens for both sides kept it a 4-4 game into the ninth, before each team took turns with the lead. Roger Williams scored in the top of the frame without the benefit of a hit to take a 5-4 margin. Sophomore Sam Arcieri (Westwood, N.J.) drew a lead-off walk, before moving to second on a sacrifice bunt. He moved to third on a wild pitch and, one out later, scored on another wild pitch with two outs.
Wheaton returns to the diamond on Tuesday, April 28 when it travels to Amherst, Mass. to take on Amherst College at 4:00 p.m., while the Hawks host Johnson & Wales University on the same day at 3:30 p.m. in Conference of New England play.
