NEWPORT, R.I. — First year left-handed pitcher Aidan Cardoza (Dartmouth, Mass.) allowed two runs in a complete game victory and senior shortstop Mike Maher (Jefferson, Mass.) knocked in a pair of runs to lead the number four seed Wheaton College (Mass.) baseball team over top-seeded and No. 4 nationally-ranked Salve Regina University, 5-2, this afternoon in the second round of the New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference Championship Tournament at in Newport, R.I.
The Lyons win their sixth straight game and improve to 23-12 on the season, while the Seahawks, who are ranked in the most recent D3baseball.com national poll, dip to 32-7. Wheaton advances to play number three seed Babson College, a 12-10 winner over second-seeded United States Coast Guard Academy, in the winner's bracket game on Saturday, May 11 at 12:30 p.m. in Newport. Salve Regina will play Coast Guard on the same day at 9:30 a.m.
The win marks the fourth straight season that the Lyons have won the initial game of the four-team bracket in the NEWMAC Tournament.
Salve Regina scored single runs in the first and ninth innings, while Wheaton tallied the winning margin with three runs in the third and two more in the eighth.
Cardoza scattered nine hits and issued six walks to go with a strikeout in nine innings to improve to 4-3 for the Lyons. Maher was 2-4 with a double and a run scored. Junior first baseman Timmy Wagner (Hingham, Mass.) was 2-2 with a walk and a run batted in, while first year third baseman Casey Wensley (Raynham, Mass.) was 3-5 with a run scored.
Senior right fielder Matt D'Amato (Midland Park, N.J.) paced the Seahawks' lineup, going 2-4 with a run batted in and sophomore left fielder Evan O'Rourke (Arlington, Mass.) was 2-3 with a double and a stolen base. Graduate student Hunter Yaworski (Brooklyn, Conn.) contributed with a 2-4 effort. Senior starting pitcher Brayden Clark (Beverly, Mass.) suffered his first loss of the year to drop to 3-1 after giving up three runs on eight hits and two walks to go with four strikeouts in six innings of work.
Wheaton strung four hits together to begin the top of the third and score three runs to overcome a one-run deficit to take a 3-1 lead. Junior second baseman Tommy Beauregard (Salem, Mass.), senior center fielder AJ Guindon (Coventry, R.I.) and Wensley all singled through the right side to load the bases with no outs. Maher delivered a single to the right-center gap to drive in Beauregard and Guindon, but was thrown out at second trying to stretch the knock into a double. Wagner later knocked in Wensley with a sacrifice fly for the third run of the frame.
The Lyons loaded the bases with no outs again in the eighth and again were able to capitalize with two more runs to take a 5-1 margin. Maher smacked a lead-off double to right, before Wagner and junior designated hitter Kevin Matos (Lawrence, Mass.) were issued back-to-back walks to load the sacks. First year left fielder Shawn Cali (East Taunton, Mass.) worked a walk to force in the fourth run of the game and Wheaton's fifth run came home later in the frame on a sacrifice fly off the bat of first year catcher Tyler Bellan (Franklin, Mass.).
Salve Regina was able to get a run back in the bottom of the ninth to make it a three-run game, but it was as close as the home team would get. First year pinch hitter Alex Holberton (Chatham, N.J.) served a one-out single to center field, before advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt. D'Amato came through with an RBI single to center to cut the Lyons' lead to 5-2, but Cardoza induced the final batter into a pop-up to second to end the game.
The Seahawks broke into the scoring column with a run in the bottom of the first inning to take a 1-0 edge. Salve Regina loaded the bases with one out. Senior Brandon Grover (Ashland, Mass.) was issued a walk to open the frame, before O'Rourke drew a base on balls and Yaworski reached on an infield single. Senior Tyler Cannoe (Schenectady, N.Y.) received a free pass to push Grover across the plate with the first run of the afternoon. Salve Regina looked to add to its lead, but Cardoza was able to get a double play ball to get out of the inning with the first of three inning-ending double plays for the game.