NORTON, Mass. — The Wheaton College (Mass.) baseball team was defeated by visiting Clark University (Mass.), 13-9, this afternoon in game one of a New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference doubleheader at Sidell Stadium on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.
The Lyons dip to 25-11 overall and 9-6 in league play, while the Cougars improve to 21-15 and 7-8.
The teams combined for 31 hits, including 16 from Wheaton. Eight of Clark's 15 hits went for extra bases.
The Lyons were led by junior catcher Ty Bellan (Franklin, Mass.), who was 3-5 with a double, two runs batted in and a pair of runs scored, while first year shortstop Evan Jones (West Haven, Conn.) was 2-4 with two RBI and a run scored. First year left fielder Brayden Lewis (Hopedale, Mass.) was 2-5 with a double and an RBI and senior second baseman Marcus Rodrigues (Lincoln, R.I.) was 2-5 with a run batted in and two runs scored. Junior left-handed starter Aiden Cardoza (Dartmouth, Mass.) was saddled with the loss to fall to 3-1 after giving up eight runs (five earned) on nine hits and two walks in addition to striking out seven batters.
Senior shortstop Alfonse Jalil (Samborondon, Ecuador) (4), senior second baseman Dom Mariani (Walpole, Mass.) (3) and sophomore first baseman Myles Fournier (Hartford, Conn.) (3) combined to drive in 10 runs to lead Clark. Mariani was 2-5 with a home run and two runs scored, while Fournier was 2-5 with a homer, a double and a run scored. Jalil finished 1-4 with a double for the Cougars. Senior catcher Brayden Hollinrake (Goffstown, N.H.) contributed with a 1-4 effort, while knocking in a pair of runs, scoring twice and smacking a double. Sophomore starting pitcher Danny Goodman (Merrick, N.Y.) picked up the win to improve to 1-2 after allowing three runs on seven hits and no walks to go with two strikeouts in six innings.
Clark scored the first eight runs of the game and never looked back with three runs each in the second and sixth innings and two more in the seventh. Wheaton got on the board with five runs in the bottom of the seventh to cut the deficit to three, but the Cougars answered with four in the eighth to increase their advantage to 12-5. The Lyons closed to within 12-8 with a three-run eighth, before both sides added a single run in the ninth.
Sophomore designated hitter Cole Camara (Pawtucket, R.I.) and Hollinrake drew back-to-back walks to open the second inning, before Fournier hit the first pitch he saw over the left field fence to give Clark a 3-0 margin with his fifth long ball of the season.
The Cougars doubled their lead with three more runs in the sixth after Camara reached on a fielder's choice, Hollinrake reached on an error and junior Michael Salzillo (Johnston, R.I.) singled to left field to load the bases. Jalil came through with a two-out, three-run double to give the visitors a 6-0 advantage.
Clark used another extra base hit to tack on two more runs for an 8-0 cushion in the top of the seventh. Mariani reached on a fielder's choice and Camara singled, before Hollinrake belted a double to right-center field to plate both runners for the Cougars.
Wheaton broke into the scoring column with a five-run outburst in the bottom of the frame to make it a three-run game. Sophomore designated hitter Logan Downey (Warwick, R.I.) opened the inning with a single up the middle, before junior center fielder Robbie Lamond (North Kingstown, R.I.) beat out a bunt single to put runners on the corners with no outs. Downey scampered home on a wild pitch for the home team's first run, before a Rodrigues single to center knocked in Lamond to make it 8-2. Bellan later smacked a double to center field to drive in Rodrigues and Jones followed with a single to put runners on first and third with two outs. Bellan scored on an infield error and Lewis laced a run-scoring single up the middle to pull the Lyons within 8-5.
Junior Chas Caron (New Hampton, N.Y.) tripled and sophomore Bennett Hewett (Lebanon, N.H.) was hit by a pitch, before Mariani deposited his 11th homer of the season over the left field fence in the eighth inning. Soares followed with a double and Camara ripped a single up the middle to extend Clark's lead to 12-5.
Wheaton got three runs back in the bottom of the frame to close within 12-8. Lamond and Rodrigues collected back-to-back singles to begin the inning, before Bellan delivered a one-out RBI single to left for the Lyons' sixth run. Bellan and Rodrigues each moved up on a wild pitch to put them in scoring position to set up a two-run single off the bat of Jones to cut the deficit to four.
A Jalil sacrifice fly capped the scoring for the Cougars in the ninth, before senior third baseman Ray Toth (Granby, Mass.) matched the run with an RBI single in the bottom of the inning for Wheaton.
The teams will cap the day with game two at 3:05 p.m.
