Horton goes 3-for-4 in the setback 

NEWPORT, R.I.  – The Wheaton College baseball team lost to Salve Regina University, 11-2, in non-conference action on Thursday evening at Reynolds Field. 

Seahawks' freshman starter Cory Poplawski (Syracuse, N.Y./Bishop Ludden) bumped his record to 2-2 overall on the season going 5 2/3 innings, on five hits, two runs (one earned), two walks and three strikeouts. 

Wheaton freshman Jack Fant (Independence, Va./McLean) was dealt the loss on four innings pitched, eight hits, seven runs (six earned), two walks and two punchouts. 

Salve Regina scored four times in the opening frame as senior Tyler Colby (Easton, Conn./Joel Barlow) notched an RBI single, junior Joe Haley (North Kingstown, R.I./North Kingstown) registered a run-producing double down the left field line and sophomore Ryan Sweenor (South Kingstown, R.I./South Kingstown) capped the scoring with a two-run double to left. 

The Lyons answered in the next half inning with a pair of runs to cut into the deficit at 4-2. Freshman Joshua LaJoie (Somers, Conn./Avon Old Farms) plated sophomore Mike Beneduce (North Kingstown, R.I./Moses Brown School) with a sac fly to left field and classmate Jimmy Smith (Worcester, Mass./Saint John's) drove in senior Kevin Foley(Southbury, Conn./Pomperaug) on a ground ball to first. 

Salve Regina's pitching staff held Wheaton to just six hits total over the remainder of the contest, while scoring seven runs of their own to secure the win. Sophomore John McDermott (Bedford Hills, N.Y./Fox Lane) gave up one hit over one inning of work and classmate Mike Schuermann (Rockville Centre, N.Y./South Side) closed out the final innings for the Seahawks yielding two hits alongside four strikeouts. 

Wheaton junior catcher Zach Horton (North Attleboro, Mass./North Attleboro) finished the contest with three hits, his sixth multi-hit game of the season. 

First-seeded Wheaton (24-12-1, 13-4 NEWMAC) will host fourth-seeded Babson College (19-13, 10-7 NEWMAC) in the upcoming New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament semifinals on Saturday, April 26 at 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. in a best 2-out-of-3 series to advance to the championship round of the tournament. The if necessary game is scheduled for Sunday, April 27 at 1 p.m. 

The winner between Wheaton/Babson will play the winner of third-seeded MIT and second-seeded Springfield on May 3-4 at the highest remaining seed for an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III New England Regional. 

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