Lyons score ten runs on 13 hits
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Wheaton College baseball team, ranked no.11 overall in the latest D3baseball.com national poll, pounded out 13 hits including five extra-base knocks for a 10-2 triumph over Western New England University in non-conference action on Tuesday evening at Trelease Park.
Sophomore reliever Mike Gibbons (Simsbury, Conn./Avon Old Farms School) bumped his record to 2-1 overall on the season scattering four hits and one run (earned) over four-and-two-thirds innings of work with zero walks and two strikeouts. Freshmen Steve Consiglio (Southbury, Conn./Pomperaug) tossed a scoreless ninth while Eric Dumas (Brookline, Mass./Brookline) blanked the Golden Bears over an inning and a third with a game-high four punchouts.
Senior left-handed pitcher Jeff Richardson (Simsbury, Conn./Simsbury) suffered the loss on six-and-one-thirds innings, ten hits, six runs (all earned), two walks and one strikeout.
Lyons' senior Paul O'Neill (Framingham, Mass./Framingham) put the visitors ahead 1-0 in the second with an RBI double to center field plating freshman Matt Lavanchy (Walpole, Mass./Walpole) from second. Lavanchy reached on a fielder's choice and swiped his seventh bag of the season to set up the scoring.
In the fourth, Lavanchy connected for a triple to right-center field driving in senior Eric Jensen (Gorham, N.H./Gorham) for a 2-0 lead. Western New England trimmed its deficit to 2-1 in the bottom half of the frame as senior Taylor Perun (Plainville, Conn./Plainville) brought home a run on a ground out to short.
Sophomore Apolinar De la Cruz (Providence, R.I./Classical) added some insurance in the fifth with an RBI single to center field. The Lyons tacked on another run in the sixth as classmate Kevin Foley (Southbury, Conn./Pomperaug) ripped a run-producing single to right field.
Wheaton jumped ahead to an 8-1 differential in the seventh with four runs on three hits, one error and one runner left on base. De la Cruz smashed his first home run of the season to right field, Lavanchy had RBI base knock to center field and O'Neill and senior Dan Gusovsky (Andover, Mass./Andover) both scored on a fielding error. Gusovsky also added a two-run double in the eighth inning.
Dumas struck out the only batter he faced in the seventh after Western New England scratched home a run on a sacrifice fly to center. In the eighth, Dumas gave up two hits to start the frame but bounced back by striking out the side. Consiglio fanned one batter in a clean ninth.
Wheaton (22-7) hosts Southern Maine on Thursday, April 18 at 4 p.m. Western New England (19-8) hosts Westfield State University tomorrow at 3:30 p.m.