Norton, MA --- The Wheaton baseball team, ranked No.10 overall in the latest D3baseball.com national poll, pushed its winning streak to five-straight games with a 9-1 victory over NEWMAC foe WPI on Wednesday evening at Sidell Stadium.
Senior right-hander Corey Laliberte (Fall River, MA) recorded his first win of the season on five-and-two-thirds innings pitched, three hits, one run (earned), two walks and a game-high five strikeouts. Freshman Eric Dumas (Brookline, MA) completed one-and-one-thirds innings of shutout ball while classmate Steve Consiglio (Southbury, CT) hurled a scoreless eighth and junior Ryan Grant (Easton, MA) wrapped up the ninth.
WPI freshman Craig Teed (Stratham, NH) was dealt the loss over five-and-two-thirds innings of work, ten hits, eight runs (four earned), four walks and four punchouts.
The Engineers opened up the contest with one run on two hits, zero errors and three runners left on bases in the first. Junior Sean Kelly (Shrewsbury, MA) plated the only run for the visitors in the frame with an RBI infield single to third base scoring freshman Vinny D'Ambrosio (Mahopac, NY). Laliberte staved off any further damage in the inning with the bases loaded and one out with a pop out and a groundout.
Wheaton claimed a 2-1 advantage in the fourth as senior Dan Gusovsky (Andover, MA) singled home classmate Eric Jensen (Gorham, NH) from third base and senior Justin Connor(Arlington, MA) scored on a failed pickoff attempt.
The Lyons put the game away in the sixth inning with a five-run inning. Senior Sean Ryan(Norton, MA) notched an RBI single to right field, Jensen brought home Ryan with an infield single, sophomore Tyler Contillo (Montville, CT) crossed home plate on a throwing error and Gusovsky capped the rally with an RBI double down the left field line.
Gusovsky also had an RBI double in the sixth while Jensen drove in the final run of the game in the eighth with a sac fly to left field scoring freshman Jimmy Smith (Worcester, MA) who singled to lead off the frame. Gusovsky was 3-for-4 with three RBI's and Jensen tallied three hits in four at-bats, scored three runs and collected two RBI's.
Wheaton (13-5, 7-0 NEWMAC) takes on WPI (9-14, 4-6) tomorrow afternoon at Sidell Stadium as the visiting team in a makeup game originally scheduled for Tuesday, April 2. First pitch for tomorrow's NEWMAC clash is scheduled for 3:30pm.
Release Courtesy Wheaton Sports Information