Clement solid in relief to earn first win of the season
NORTON, Mass. – The Wheaton College baseball team rallied from two separate deficits to claim an eventual 9-5 win over No. 5 ranked Southern Maine on Sunday afternoon in non-conference action at Sidell Stadium.
Wheaton sophomore Jared Clement (Wrentham, Mass./Saint Sebastian's) scattered four hits and did not allow a run alongside three strikeouts in five innings of relief to pick up his first win of the season (1-0). Freshman Jack Fant (Independence, Va./McLean) was handed the no-decision on four-plus innings, six hits, five runs (all earned), one walk and a pair of strikeouts.
Southern Maine senior reliever Logan Carman (Newfields, N.H./Home School) took the loss recording one out in the contest. Carman also allowed one hit and the game-winning run to score in the bottom of the sixth. Freshman Zack Bean (Westbrook, Maine/Westbrook) collected a no-decision on five-plus innings, eight hits, five runs (all earned) and three punchouts. Sophomore reliever Ryan Browner (Georgetown, Mass./Georgetown) was effective out of the pen throwing 1 1/3 scoreless innings while yielding two hits and striking out one batter.
Trailing 5-4 in the bottom of the sixth, the Lyons scored three times on four hits, one error and one runner left on base. Senior Kevin Foley (Southbury, Conn./Pomperaug) singled home the game-tying run to center field and freshman Joshua LaJoie (Somers, Conn./Avon Old Farms) ripped an RBI base hit through the right side of the infield to reclaim the lead at 6-5.
Junior Zach Bombard (Belchertown, Mass./Cathedral) added to the advantage after LaJoie stole second base and advanced to third on a throwing error with a base knock to right field for a 7-5 score.
Southern Maine held a 2-0 differential after the first half inning of play as senior Forrest Chadwick (Gardiner, Maine/Gardiner) drove in junior Jake Glauser (Goffstown, N.H./Goffstown) from third with an RBI single to the right-center gap. Senior Matt Verrier (Norway, Maine/Oxford Hills) added another run in the Huskies' next at-bat with a shallow pop up just past the infield dirt near second base which scored John Carey (South Portland, Maine/South Portland) from third.
LaJoie made a great basket catch over his shoulder to take away a hit from Verrier for the second out of the frame and also took away a potential big inning from the guests. Glauser jump started the scoring as he was hit-by-a-pitch with one out in the inning, stole second and advanced to third on a single by Carey.
In the second down 2-0, Wheaton responded with four runs highlighted by a game-tying two-out, two-run single to left field from LaJoie with the bases loaded. Justin Peluso (North Reading, Mass./Saint John's Prep) then pushed the Lyons ahead with a two-run single to center field driving in Foley and Bombard.
The Huskies answered in the top of the fifth as Chadwick knocked a two-run triple down the right field line and Verrier notched an RBI single to center. Clement, who relieved Fant after Chadwick's triple, settled down once he allowed Verrier's RBI base hit with a pop out to second, a fly out to left and a line out at first. For the remainder of the game, Clement only allowed one runner to reach scoring position (top sixth).
Wheaton (18-6-1, 7-2 NEWMAC) travels to Coast Guard on Tuesday, April 8 for a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) contest at 3:30 p.m. No. 5 Southern Maine (14-6) visits Saint Joseph's (Maine) next Tuesday at 4 p.m.
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