Six Lyons have multi-hit games

NORTON, Mass. – The Wheaton College baseball team, ranked no.10 overall in the latest D3baseball.com national poll, claimed a 5-4 triumph over Babson College in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play on Friday evening at Govoni Field.

Senior right-hander Frank Holbrook (Middletown, R.I./Portsmouth Abbey School) pitched eight-and-one-thirds innings, allowed nine hits, four runs (three earned), two walks and three strikeouts to push his record to 4-0 overall. Junior closer Ryan Grant (Easton, Mass./Avon Old Farms School) registered his second save in as many days issuing one walk in two-thirds of an inning.

Babson junior Matt Grenier (Rochester, N.H./Spaulding) was dealt the loss on seven-and-one-thirds innings pitched, 11 hits, five runs (four earned), no walks and two strikeouts. Freshman Nick Ahearn (Norfolk, Mass./Xaverian) held Wheaton scoreless over the last one-and-one-thirds innings.

Trailing 3-1 after the third inning, the Lyons responded in the fourth as senior co-captain Dan Gusovsky (Andover, Mass./Andover) ripped a two-run double down the left field line scoring sophomore Apolinar De la Cruz (Providence, R.I./Classical) and senior Sean Ryan (Norton, Mass./Norton). Ryan and De la Cruz both notched singles before senior co-captain Eric Jensen (Gorham, N.H./Gorham) dropped down a sacrifice bunt to advance each runner into scoring position.

Gusovsky gave Wheaton a 4-3 lead in the seventh inning with a sacrifice fly to left field and De la Cruz added an insurance run in the eighth with an RBI single up the middle.

In the ninth, Babson cut into the deficit at 5-4 with a sacrifice fly to center field off the bat of sophomore Sean MacPhee (Framingham, Mass./Belmont Hill). After sophomore Dillon Gonzalez (Beverly, Mass./St. John's Prep) earned a free pass and moved the tying run into scoring position at second, Grant induced a groundout to De la Cruz at first base to thwart the Beavers' rally.

Sophomores Kevin Foley (Southbury, Conn./Pomperaug) and Tyler Contillo (Montville, Conn./Montville) and Ryan, De la Cruz, Jensen and Gusovsky all collected two hits for the Lyons.

In the third, Contillo stroked an RBI double to right-center field plating Jensen to open up the scoring. Babson answered with three runs in the bottom half on four hits, one error and one runner left on base. MacPhee highlighted the frame with a solo shot to right field for the Beavers.

Wheaton (10-5, 4-0 NEWMAC) hosts Babson tomorrow afternoon at Sidell Stadium for a NEWMAC doubleheader with game one scheduled for noon.