Northboro, MA --- A four-run fifth inning sparked visiting Wheaton to an 8-3 win over WPI baseball on Wednesday afternoon at the New England Baseball Complex. The Engineers fall to 10-6, 0-1 to open NEWMAC play, while the Lyons improve to 7-4, starting conference play at 1-0.
Wheaton's Aiden Cardoza (Dartmouth, MA) got the win to move to 2-1 on the season. He threw eight innings, allowing three runs on five hits with three strikeouts. Jackson Walsh (Cumberland, RI) pitched a scoreless ninth inning.
Offensively for the Lyons, Kevin Matos (Lawrence, MA) drove in three runs, while Mike Maher (Jefferson, MA) and Timmy Wagner (Hingham, MA) each added two RBI. AJ Guindon (Coventry, RI) had three hits with one RBI, while, Anthony Teberio (Andover, MA) and Tommy Ambrosone (Hopkinson, MA) each collected two hits.
Owen Radcliffe (Holliston, MA) suffered the loss for the Engineers, moving to 1-2 overall. He threw seven innings, allowing five runs on 10 hits with six strikeouts. Zachary Roethlein (Pomfret Center, CT), Jack Zawacki (Pittsford, NY), and Joseph Peregrim (Watervliet, NY) provided the only Engineers' offense, each driving in runs.
Wheaton opened the scoring with a run in the top of the first inning. Singles from Guindon and Ambrosone started the game, while a Matos sac fly sent a run home for a 1-0 Lyons advantage.
WPI took over the lead with two in the bottom of the first. Jacob Hand (Niskayuna, NY) reached on a hit-by-pitch to open the frame, while singles from Andrew Cash (Marlboro, MA) and Tommy Burns (Morris Plains, NJ) followed, loading the bases. Roethlein and Zawacki each added sacrifice flies to make it a 2-1 game before a groundout ended the threat.
The Engineers extended their advantage to 3-1 in the bottom of the fourth, as a lead-off double from Roethlein came around to score on a Peregrim single.
Wheaton's big inning game in the top of the fifth, scoring four runs on five hits to turn a 3-1 deficit into a 5-3 lead. Back-to-back-to-back singles opened the frame to load the bases, before Maher and Matos each blated two-run doubles to give the visitors a lead.
The Lyons added an insurance run in the top of the eighth as a lead-off single from Teberio came around to score on a fielder's choice from Guindon, making it 6-3.
Wheaton pushed the advantage to five runs with a pair in the top of the ninth as Wagner launched a two-run shot to left field.
In the bottom of the ninth, Lyons' reliever Walsh retired all three batters in order to seal the victory.
WPI will play Eastern Connecticut on Friday at 3:30pm in a game originally scheduled for Thursday. Wheaton still has a game on Thursday, hosting RIC at 3:30pm.