Lyons earn top seed in this weekend's conference tournament
BOSTON, Mass. – In a winner take all game for the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) regular season title, Wheaton College junior Nick Filloramo (Rochester, Mass./Old Rochester Regional) struck out six batters over seven-and-one-thirds scoreless innings to help the Lyons claim their 14th NEWMAC regular season title in the league's 15-year history and the top seed in this weekend's double-elimination tournament with a 2-0 victory on Wednesday evening at Parsons Field on the campus of Northeastern University.
Both teams entered today's game tied with an identical 13-4 conference record after the Engineers swept the Lyons on Tuesday by scores of 4-3 and 3-2 in Norton, Mass. Wheaton, ranked no.12 overall in the latest D3baseball.com national poll, is 24-10 overall on the season. MIT falls to 20-7. The Lyons will host fourth-seeded Coast Guard Academy (21-14, 9-9 NEWMAC) on Saturday, April 27 at 11 a.m. in game one of the double-elimination format.
Filloramo stymied MIT in his seven-plus innings of work giving up two hits – one single in each of the first two innings – and one walk. After yielding a one-out base knock to center field in the second, Filloramo retired the next 18 batters he faced in order, recorded four strikeouts and never allowed a runner to reach scoring position during his outing.
Freshman Eric Dumas (Brookline, Mass./Brookline), who inherited Filloramo's only free pass of the contest in the eighth with one out, induced a ground out and fanned one hitter to keep the shutout intact for junior closer Ryan Grant (Easton, Mass./Avon Old Farms School) in the ninth. Grant notched his conference leading seventh save of the season despite hitting two batters and walking another on a pair of ground outs including a 6-4-3 game-ending double play.
In the top of the first inning, Wheaton freshman Matt Lavanchy (Walpole, Mass./Walpole) ripped a leadoff triple to right-center field and senior Eric Jensen (Gorham, N.H./Gorham) followed with a ground out to second base for his 23rd RBI of the season and a 1-0 advantage.
The Lyons added an insurance run in the fifth as sophomore Justin Peluso (North Andover, Mass./Saint John's Prep) plated classmate Tyler Contillo (Montville, Conn./Montville) with a sacrifice bunt to first base. Contillo jumpstarted the offense with a single to center field and advanced to third on a base hit to left field from senior Paul O'Neill (Framingham, Mass./Framingham).
MIT freshman Nicholas Locascio (Naples, Fla./Community School of Naples) took the loss on eight-and-one-thirds innings pitched, five hits, two runs (both earned), no walks and a game-high seven strikeouts. Junior Brandon Lowe (Brier, Wash./Edmonds-Woodway) and freshman Michael Wymer (Flower Mound, Texas/Flower Mound) both recorded one out in relief.
The Engineers, seeded second overall in the upcoming NEWMAC tournament, will take on third-seeded Babson College this Saturday at 11 a.m. in Babson Park, Mass. at Govoni Field. Wheaton takes on Eastern Connecticut State tomorrow at Sidell Stadium at 3:30 p.m.