NORTHBOROUGH, Mass. – The Wheaton College (Mass.) baseball team defeated host Emerson College, 9-3, this afternoon in New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference play at the New England Baseball Complex in Northborough, Mass.
The Lyons improve to 14-6 overall and 4-3 in league play, while the Lions fall to 3-15 and 1-6.
Both teams registered 10 hits on the day with Emerson leaving 10 runners on base. The Lions owned a 2-1 edge after two innings, before Wheaton scored eight unanswered runs to take a 9-2 advantage into the bottom of the seventh.
Sophomore designated hitter Logan Downey (Warwick, R.I.) was 2-4 with two runs batted in for the Lyons, while junior center fielder Robbie Lamond (North Kingstown, R.I.) was 2-4 with an RBI, a stolen base and a run scored. First year left fielder Brayden Lewis (Hopedale, Mass.) reached base safely with two singles and a walk in five plate appearances and scored three times to go with a pair of stolen bases. Junior catcher Ty Bellan (Franklin, Mass.) also contributed with a solo homer. Junior right-handed reliever Braden Young (Foxborough, Mass.) earned the win to improve to 3-1 after allowing one run on three hits and a walk to go with a pair of strikeouts in three innings pitched.
First year right fielder Vincent Fuller (Fort Collins, Colo.) paced the Lions, blasting a home run in a 1-3 day, while sophomore center fielder Aidan Callahan (Croton on Hudson, N.Y.) was 3-4. Sophomore second baseman John Churchward (Davis, Calif.) had three hits in five at-bats from the top of the order for Emerson. Sophomore right-handed starting pitcher Henry Kagan (Pelham, N.Y.) suffered the loss to drop to 0-4 after giving up six runs (one earned) on six hits and a walk to go with a pair of strikeouts in five innings.
Wheaton erased a 2-1 deficit with three runs in the top of the third to take a 4-2 lead. First year shortstop Evan Jones (West Haven, Conn.) drew a one-out walk and later scored on a wild pitch to even the game at 2-2. Senior second baseman Marcus Rodrigues (Lincoln, R.I.) reached on an error and Lewis was safe on a fielder's choice, before both runners moved into scoring position on a double steal. Rodrigues scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch and Lewis later scored on a two-out infield single off the bat of Lamond to give the Lyons a two-run lead.
Wheaton added two more runs in the fifth to increase its margin to 6-2. Lewis ripped a single to center field and later scored on an error. Senior first baseman Collin Reilly (Marshfield, Mass.) had reached on the error and Lamond followed by getting hit by a pitch. Downey pushed the sacks full with an infield hit, before Reilly scampered home with the Lyons' sixth run on a sacrifice fly from sophomore right fielder Dwayne Burgo Jr. (Taunton, Mass.).
Wheaton tacked on another run in the sixth and added two more in the seventh to give the visitors a comfortable seven-run lead. Bellan hit the first pitch he saw to lead off the sixth with his first long ball of the season to give the Lyons a 7-2 lead. Reilly worked a full count walk with one out in the seventh, before Lamond doubled to the gap in left center field to put both runners in scoring position. Downey laced a single up the middle to plate both runners with the eighth and ninth runs of the afternoon for Wheaton.
Fuller blasted his first home run of the season over the left field fence to lead off the bottom of the seventh for the Lions to make it 9-3.
The Lyons opened the scoring with a run in the top of the first to take a 1-0 lead. Lewis punched a single into right field and later scored on an error. Emerson responded right away when Churchward opened the frame with a single up the middle and later scored ahead of a two-out double down the right field line by junior shortstop Justin Fields (Glen Ridge, N.J.) to even the score at 1-1.
The Lions took their only lead of the day with a run in the bottom of the second to go up, 2-1. Senior designated hitter Charlie Coors (Golden, Colo.) and Callahan reached on back-to-back singles, including a bunt from Callahan, to open the inning. Both runners moved up a base on a sacrifice bunt, before Fuller knocked in Coors with a sacrifice fly to center field.
Wheaton returns to the diamond tomorrow when it hosts Western New England University at 3:30 p.m. at Sidell Stadium, while Emerson takes on Elms College at NEBC for a 3:00 p.m. first pitch.
