NORTON, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State College baseball team dropped an 11-2 decision to local rival Wheaton College this afternoon from Wheaton's Sidell Stadium in Norton, Mass.
Senior Scott Guillerault (South Portland, ME)
and junior Nick Pecora's (Highland Park, NJ)
combined to drive in seven runs as the Lyons earned their
20th win of the season.
Ranked ninth nationally in yesterday's American Baseball Coaches
Association (ABCA) poll, Wheaton has won 18 of its last 19 games to
improve to 20-5. The Lyons also reached the 20-win plateau
for the 11th time in the program's 11-year varsity history.
The Bears fell to 11-6 with the loss.
Guillerault and Pecora broke open a 4-2 game in the sixth, as each
launched three-run homers, their first dingers of the season.
Wheaton's final seven runs came via the longball, as sophomore
Paul Malaguti (Andover, MA) hit a solo shot over
the right field fence in the seventh. The Lyons smacked three
home runs in a game after hitting just four during their first 24
contests. Malaguti and Pecora hit the first of their careers,
while Guillerault slugged his 24th, which is good for second in
program annals.
The Lyons received a strong outing from sophomore Nick
Kostaras (North Attleboro, MA), who improved to 3-0 by
fanning six with no walks and yielding nine hits through seven
innings. Freshman Chad Kasik (Dudley, MA)
set down the side in the eighth with one strikeout, while junior
Karl Olson (Bethel, ME) fired a scoreless
ninth. Sophomore Spenser Hatstat (Clinton,
MA) took the loss after giving up three runs on three hits
while striking out two and walking five in 3.2-plus innings.
Back-to-back singles from sophomore Mark Claffey
(Bellingham, MA) and senior Steve Smith (East
Taunton, MA) enabled the Bears to place runners at the
corners to start the game, and junior Kelly LaDow (East
Falmouth, MA) grounded out to short to score Claffey.
Wheaton knotted the score in the second thanks to an RBI triple
from senior Ken Depasse (Holden, MA) and tacked on
a pair more on consecutive third-inning sacrifice flies off the
bats of junior Robert Foote (Walpole, MA) and
sophomore Jeff Lieneck (Foxboro, MA).
Smith tripled home freshman Steve Lambert (Milton,
MA) in the fifth to trim Bridgewater State's deficit to
one, but the Lyons quickly got that run back in the home
half. Lieneck began a two-out rally with a double down the
left field line before scoring on a Pecora single up the
middle.
Wheaton totaled 13 hits, with Guillerault leading the way by going
2-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, the home run, a double and a
walk. Pecora finished 2-for-4 while driving in four runs and
scoring once, while Malaguti was 2-for-4 with two runs, an RBI on
the homer and a walk. Freshman Sean Munley (Trenton,
NJ) batted 2-for-3 and drew a walk. Lieneck and
senior Jake Yagjian (Brewster, MA) scored two runs
apiece.
Smith paced the Bears with a 3-for-4 performance to go alongside an
RBI, while Lambert finished 2-for-3 with one run. Bridgewater
State accounted for 10 hits in the loss.
Wheaton remains at home tomorrow afternoon when it hosts non-league
opponent Curry College at 3:30 p.m. The last time the two
teams played was during last year's NCAA New England Regional
Tournament, a game won by the Lyons in 16 innings.