De la Cruz knocks in two runs
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – The Wheaton College baseball team, ranked no.3 overall in the latest D3baseball.com national poll, lost to Denison University, 12-4, in a non-conference matchup on Thursday afternoon.
Big Red right-handed pitcher Ian Walsh (Winson-Salem, N.C./West Forsyth) earned his first-career collegiate win in his first-ever start on six-and-one-thirds innings, six hits, four runs (one earned), three walks and two strikeouts. Junior Connor Murphy (Winnetka, Ill./New Trier) closed out the rest of the contest yielding two hits, zero runs, three walks and five strikeouts.
Wheaton sophomore Mike Gibbons (Simsbury, Conn./Avon Old Farms School) was handed the loss on three-and-one-thirds innings, five hits, six runs (five earned), two walks and three strikeouts.
The Lyons held a 2-0 lead after the first inning as senior designated hitter Sean Ryan (Norton, Mass./Norton) singled home freshman second baseman Matt Lavanchy (Walpole, Mass./Walpole) and sophomore first baseman Apolinar De la Cruz (Providence, R.I./Classical) lifted a sacrifice fly to left field. Lavanchy reached base to lead off the frame on a fielding error, senior shortstop Eric Jensen (Gorham, N.H./Gorham) was hit by a pitch and sophomore left fielder Tyler Contillo (Montville, Conn./Montville) moved over both runners with a sacrifice bunt to set up the scoring.
Denison outscored Wheaton, 9-1, over the next four innings compiling eight hits during that span while capitalizing on two errors. The Big Red received RBI's from six different players including a two-run single to center field from senior third baseman Kyle Clemmenson (Katonah, N.Y./John Jay) that capped the scoring in the three-run fifth inning.
The Lyons had eight different players record a hit in the contest. Jensen scored a team-high two runs and also stole his second base of the season in the third inning. De la Cruz eventually knocked in Jensen in that frame with a run-producing single to right-center field and sophomore Mike Bisceglia (New Boston, N.H./Goffstown) drove in a run in the seventh with a single through the right side of the infield.
Wheaton (3-3, 0-0 NEWMAC) looks to bounce back against Montclair State tomorrow in the Snowbird Classic at 11:00 a.m. Denison (1-4) returns to the diamond tomorrow versus Wooster at 3 p.m.