NORTON, MA- Wheaton College baseball freshman hurler Nick Filloramo (Rochester, MA/Old Rochester Regional) tossed a gem during Saturday's 6-0 victory over Brandeis University at Sidell Stadium, as the righthander fired a complete-game shutout with two strikeouts and no walks while facing just four batters over the minimum.
Winners in 12 of 14 games, the Lyons, who are receiving national votes in the latest D3baseball.com poll, improved to 16-6, while the Judges had their five-game winning streak snapped in falling to 15-11.
Allowing just six singles, Filloramo remained perfect at 4-0 while lowering his earned run average to 2.76. Junior leadoff hitter Hal Landers (Salem, NH/Salem) sparked Wheaton's offense early, going 3-for-4 with two runs, an RBI and a triple. Sophomore Eric Jensen (Gorham, NH/Gorham) also went 3-for-4 with a run, while junior Dan Haugh (Andover, MA/Saint John's Prep) continued his torrid pace with a two-run homer in the eighth.
Sophomore Nick Cortese (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico/Baldwin School of Puerto Rico) was Brandeis' lone multiple hitter, finishing 2-for-4, while classmate Mike Swerdloff (Scarsdale, NY/Ardsley) took the loss after yielding four earned runs on six hits with six strikeouts and one walk over 7.1 innings.
The Lyons manufactured their initial run in the first, with Landers singling to lead off and stealing second before coming around to score on an infield throwing error during a sacrifice bunt. Wheaton tacked on two more runs in the third, as freshman Joe Carlier (Rockland, MA/Rockland) picked up his first collegiate hit before eventually scoring when Landers ripped a triple over the outstretched reach of the right fielder. Landers made the score 3-0 after being plated on a wild pitch.
Wheaton added its fourth run when senior Hadi Raad (Hastings-on-Hudson, NY/Hastings) walked to begin the fifth frame, advanced to third on Landers' third hit of the day and scored on a groundout to first. Meanwhile, Filloramo retired 10 batters in a row from the fourth through seventh innings before running into trouble in the eighth.
The Judges placed their first two runners on the corners, but Filloramo picked up a huge out in fanning his next batter before inducing an inning-ending double play to keep the shutout intact. Haugh's two-run blast over the left center field fence in the eighth completed the scoring.
Wheaton continues its three-game homestand tomorrow in a rescheduled New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) game against Springfield College at 1:00 p.m.