Gibbons scatters four hits over seven innings to improve to 4-0

NORTON, Mass. – The Wheaton College baseball team, ranked No. 24 in the latest D3baseball.com Top 25 poll, claimed a 4-0 victory over Coast Guard Academy in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action on Thursday evening at Sidell Stadium.

Wheaton junior right-hander Mike Gibbons (Simsbury, Conn./Avon Old Farms) spun a seven inning, four-hit gem alongside one walk and a game-high five strikeouts to bump his record to 4-0 on the season. Senior Mike McGinnis (Mashpee, Mass./Mashpee) struck out two hitters and issued one walk in the eighth, while classmate Ryan Grant (Easton, Mass./Avon Old Farms) closed out the ninth giving up one hit and recording a strikeout.

Coast Guard sophomore Sean Barry (Centreville, Pa.) shouldered the loss on four hits, one run (earned), zero walks and three strikeouts. Classmate Kyle Wood (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.) shut out the Lyons over the last three innings of the contest yielding two hits and a walk after junior Andrew Lucak (Gulf Breeze, Fla.) pitched a pair of innings out of the pen.

Sophomore Matt Lavanchy (Walpole, Mass./Walpole) lifted the Blue and White to a 1-0 advantage in the first with an RBI single up the middle scoring classmate Jimmy Smith (Worcester, Mass./Saint John's) from third with one out. Smith set up the scoring by placing a perfect bunt down the third base line for a leadoff hit, advanced to second on a ground out to third and moved up one more base on a wild pitch.

In the fourth, Wheaton increased its lead to 2-0 as freshman Joseph Santigate (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph by the Sea) dropped a two-out run-producing single into the right-center field gap between both of Coast Guard's outfielders. Junior Mike Bisceglia (New Boston, N.H./Goffstown) worked a six-pitch leadoff walk and advanced to second on a ground out to the right side of the infield before scoring on Santigate's two-out base knock.

Bisceglia added to the gap with a two-run double down the left field line in the fifth plating Lavanchy and junior Justin Peluso (North Reading, Mass./Saint John's Prep).

Lavanchy finished the contest going 2-for-4 with one run scored and one RBI, while Santigate, senior Kevin Foley (Southbury, Conn./Pomperaug) and freshman Joshua LaJoie (Somers, Conn./Avon Old Farms) all had multi-hit games. Coast Guard sophomore Mark Behne (Clifton, Va.) collected two of the Bears five hits in the contest.

Wheaton (23-8-1, 12-2 NEWMAC) will play MIT tomorrow in game one of a three-game set against the Engineers on the road at 3:30 p.m. On Saturday, Wheaton and MIT are scheduled to play a doubleheader in Norton, Mass. with game one beginning at 11:30 a.m. Coast Guard (11-17, 6-8 NEWMAC) travels to Clark University tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. for game one of a three-game weekend set against the Cougars.

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