BROCKPORT, N.Y. – Senior right fielder Jake Studley (Barrington, R.I.) was 4-5 with two runs batted in and senior starting pitcher Gavin Reily (Bridgewater, Mass.) allowed just one earned run in seven innings to lead the No. 22 Wheaton College (Mass.) baseball team over No. 23 State University of New York Brockport, 6-2, this morning in an NCAA Tournament Regional elimination game at the Clark V. Whited Complex in Brockport, N.Y.
The top-seeded Lyons improve to 31-11 and advance to play at 3:30 p.m. against the loser of the fourth-seeded Johnson & Wales University (R.I.)-second-seeded Baldwin-Wallace University contest. The number three seed Golden Eagles' season comes to an end with a 33-11 record following a pair of losses in the tournament. Both Wheaton and Brockport are ranked in the most recent National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association/D3baseball.com Coaches Poll.
The game was scoreless through the first four frames until SUNY Brockport got on the board with a run in the bottom of the fifth. Wheaton broke through in the top half of the sixth with a run to tie it. The Lyons put some breathing room between themselves and their host with a four-run seventh and tacked on another run in the ninth. The Golden Eagles managed to push a run across in the eighth.
Studley records his fifth four-hit effort of the season for Wheaton, including a double, while scoring a pair of runs. Reily pitched into the eighth inning and allowed two runs (one earned) on seven hits and a walk, while striking out four in seven-plus innings of work to improve to 7-2 on the year and 21-5 for his career to move into fourth on the program's all-time list. Junior reliever Max Pierce (Scituate, R.I.) finished the eighth with three outs and did not allow a hit, before senior reliever Dom Cunha (Lincoln, R.I.) set Brockport down in order in the ninth, including two strikeouts. Senior left fielder Stephen Quigley (Halifax, Mass.) knocked in a run with a single in four at-bats, while junior third baseman Nick Croteau (Cumberland, R.I.) and senior first baseman Drew Spirito (Cranston, R.I.) each drove in a run with a double.
Graduate student second baseman Tom Kretzler (Albany, N.Y.) led the Golden Eagles with a home run and a walk in four plate appearances, while senior center fielder Nicholas Pastore (Wynantskill, N.Y.) was 1-3 with a double. Senior right-hander Andrew Huffman (Kerhonkson, N.Y.) suffered the loss to drop to 8-3 after giving up four runs on eight hits and two walks in addition to eight strikeouts in six and a third innings.
The Lyons took its first lead of the game with four runs in the seventh to take a 5-1 margin. Junior second baseman Mike Maher (Jefferson, Mass.) stroked a double to right center field and raced around to score when Quigley served a single to left field to give Wheaton a 2-1 edge. Sophomore center fielder AJ Guindon (Coventry, R.I.) laced a single to right center to put a pair of runners on. Brockport got a ground ball to force Quigley at third, but Studley followed with a double to left field to plate Guindon from second and a hustling Croteau from first base to increase the Lyons advantage to 4-1. Studley took advantage of a throwing error on the play to end up on third base and scored when senior catcher Zach DeMattio (North Attleboro, Mass.) reached on an infield throwing error to make it 5-1.
The Golden Eagles got a run back in the bottom of the eighth to cut the deficit to 5-2. Kretzler crushed a pitch far over the right field fence to lead off the inning with his school-record 17th home run and chase Reily from the game.
Wheaton added an insurance run in the ninth when Guindon reached on an error, stole second and came around to score on a double off the bat off Croteau.
SUNY Brockport scored the game's first run in the fifth with the help of an error. Senior third baseman Matt O'Dair (Mohegan Lake, N.Y.) was hit by a pitch to open the frame and sophomore catcher David Belsito (West Seneca, N.Y.) singled down the left field line to give the Golden Eagles two runners on base with no outs. Senior shortstop James Houlahan (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) followed with a bunt to move the runners over, but Reily fielded it and looked to get the force at third. The righty slipped, causing his throw attempt to go wide and allow O'Dair to score on a close play at the plate for a 1-0 edge. Brockport ultimately pushed its runners into scoring position with another sacrifice bunt, before the Lyons elected to intentionally walk Kretzler to load the bases with one out. The move paid off as Pastore grounded to the sure-handed Maher to start a 4-6-3 double-play to end the inning and the threat.
Wheaton answered right away with a run of its own in the top of the sixth. Studley singled sharply to center and scored when Spirito lifted a double that one-hopped the left field fence to plate Studley with the tying run.