Athletics > Weekly Lyon > 2002-03 > April 28, 2003
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Baseball (21-7-2, 10-2) Advances to Championship Round of NEWMAC Tournament
The Wheaton College baseball team advanced to the championship round of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament, as the top-seeded Lyons defeated fourth seed Coast Guard, 5-0 and third seed Springfield, 8-7 on Sunday at Sidell Stadium. Wheaton is seeking its fifth straight tournament championship in the five-year existence of the league. Earlier in the week, the Lyons dropped a 3-0 decision to the number-one team in the nation, Eastern Connecticut State, but responded on Thursday to edge Rhode Island College, 2-1 in a non-conference game.
On Monday in a rematch of last year's NCAA Division III New England Regional Tournament title game, the top-ranked Eastern Connecticut State Warriors held Wheaton to three hits on the night, including a one-out single by junior Tim Ziakas (Roxbury, NJ/Roxbury) in the fourth inning and singles by junior John Ablondi (Westford, MA/Westford Academy) and senior Brett Edmunds (Wolfeboro, NH/Kingswood Regional) in the fifth. The Lyons threatened in the ninth inning, beginning the frame with a pair of walks, which brought the tying run to the plate. Wheaton then struck out for the first out, followed by a fly ball and groundout to end the game. Sophomore Jon Jackson (Ipswich, MA/Hamilton-Wenham) took the loss.
Against RIC, senior Scott Beattie's (Springvale, ME/Sanford) sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth inning scored pinch runner Kevin Doherty (Tewksbury, MA/Tewksbury) with the winning run. In what turned out to be a fast paced game, the Lyons were aided by 6.2 innings of no-hit baseball, including 5.2 perfect innings, by a combined six different pitchers. The game's first threat came in the top of the seventh. With two outs, Rhode Island College finally broke through with a pair of hits. In the bottom of the seventh, Wheaton added the game's first run, however the Anchormen knotted the score at 1-1 in the top of the eighth. In the bottom of the ninth, junior pinch hitter Jesse Woods (Reading, MA/Reading) singled to left center field and was then replaced by Doherty. Sophomore Keith Cooper (Swampscott, MA/The Pingree School) singled Doherty to second and Doherty advanced to third on a fly ball to center by Ablondi, setting up Beattie's late-inning heroics. Seven Lyons saw time on the mound, with junior Matt Parlato (Bethlehem, CT/Nonnewaug) picking up his first victory of the season. He yielded one run on two hits in two innings of work.
In Sunday's first semifinal contest, senior hurler Mike Hunsinger (Fall River, MA/Durfee) fired a five-hit shutout to improve to 6-1 on the season and Ablondi posted a two-run double in the bottom of the third, leading Wheaton to the shutout over Coast Guard. The Bears threatened in the first two innings, leading off both frames with doubles, however Hunsinger settled in to retire the side in both frames. In the third inning, the Lyons took advantage of two Bear errors, a pair of wild pitches and three hits to plate the game's only five runs. In addition to Ablondi's two-run double, Beattie and sophomore Rob Cipolla (South Windsor, CT/Kingswood-Oxford) posted sacrifice flies to extend Wheaton's lead to 5-0. The Bears put forth a rally attempt in the top half of the eighth, registering back-to-back singles to open the frame. Hunsinger once again retired his next three batters to keep the shutout in tact. Hunsinger, who recorded his third complete game of the season, had four strikeouts and one walk.
In the second semifinal, after trading runs in the first inning, the Lyons took a 2-1 edge in the bottom of the second. Edmunds posted a one-out single, advanced to second with a stolen base and eventually scored on a Mark Brown (Chelmsford, MA/Chelmsford) single. SC bounced back to reel off three runs on three hits on one Wheaton error in the top of the fourth. Wheaton cut the deficit to 4-2 in the bottom of the frame, when freshman Rafael Castillo (Queens, NY/Christ The King) singled home Edmunds. In the sixth, the hosts took the lead for good, using six hits to plate four runs for a 7-4 lead. The Pride tallied two runs in the top of the seventh to narrow the gap to 7-6, but Wheaton added a critical insurance run in the eighth, thanks to a Castillo sacrifice fly. Springfield threatened in the eighth, drawing consecutive walks to place two runners on with nobody out. Following a fly out to center, freshman lefty Mark DeMasse (Reading, MA/Reading) put a halt to the rally attempt by retiring the next two batters on strikes. In the ninth, SC used a single coupled with consecutive Wheaton throwing errors and a wild pitch to pull within one run. DeMasse then closed the door on the Pride, striking out three straight batters to record his third save of the season. Bryan Duplissie (East Swanzey, NH/Monadnock) improved to a perfect 4-0 on the mound, allowing nine hits with four strikeouts and a walk in six innings. The Lyons posted five multiple-hit performances in the game.
Beattie and Duplissie Named NEWMAC Player and Pitcher of the Week
Beattie and Duplissie were named NEWMAC Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively for the week ending on Sunday, April 20. Duplissie also was selected Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Player of the Week. In a perfect 7-0 week, Beattie led the way offensively, helping Wheaton capture its fifth consecutive NEWMAC regular season championship. Beattie batted .462 (12-for-26) with 11 RBI, five runs scored, three doubles, three stolen bases and a home run. He also had a slugging percentage of .692. In game two against Springfield, he went 3-for-5 with three runs scored, three RBI, one home run, a stolen base and a 1.200 slugging percentage to highlight the week. Beattie posted five multiple-hit games and added two or more runs batted in on four occasions. He is among the conference's elite players in RBI, doubles and doubles per game.
Duplissie earned pitching honors this week for posting a 2-0 record with a 0.00 earned run average against Springfield and Coast Guard. Over 12.2 innings of work, he struck out eight batters with only seven hits allowed and three walks. Opponents had a batting average of .152. Duplissie also was solid at the plate, batting .391 (9-for-23) with eight runs scored, five RBI, three doubles, three walks, two home runs and a .783 slugging percentage. He is currently ranked in the conference in winning percentage, ERA and home runs.
Men's Lacrosse (5-7, 3-2) Posts 2-0 Week with Victories over Clark and Mass. Maritime
The Wheaton College men's lacrosse team posted a perfect 2-0 week with two convincing victories. The Lyons cruised past Clark, 22-4 in a Wednesday night Pilgrim League game and then came back from an early deficit on Thursday en route to a 21-6 triumph over Massachusetts Maritime in a non-conference home game on Thursday.
At Clark, junior Chris Milligan (Madison, CT/Daniel Hand) started off the scoring for the Blue and White twenty-six seconds into the first quarter and added another unassisted goal twenty seconds later to give Wheaton a 2-0 lead less than a minute into play. Clark countered Wheaton's early attack by adding a goal at 11:55. Milligan, who accounted for five of Wheaton's goals, scored the Lyons' third goal of the game on an assist from senior Zach Hurd (Bath, ME/Hyde School). At the end of the first period, the Lyons had built a 5-2 lead, as junior Dusko Joldzic (Lincoln Park, NJ/Montclair-Kimberly) and Hurd added a goal apiece. The second period saw Wheaton pull further away, as the Lyons took a commanding 12-2 lead into halftime. The third quarter was more of the same as Wheaton helped themselves to eight more scores, taking a 20-3 advantage into the final stanza. The Lyons were led by Milligan's five goals and nine ground balls, while Hurd also had a strong showing, finishing with three goals and an assist. Wheaton outshot Clark, 62-19, notching 65 ground balls to the Cougars' 25. Senior goalkeeper Mac Jackson (Brooklin, ME/George Stevens) recorded ten saves.
Against Massachusetts Maritime, Wheaton started off slowly and after Milligan scored the game's first goal, the Lyons surrendered three straight scores. The Buccaneers had a 3-1 lead midway through the first period when the Blue and White responded by scoring five unanswered goals to finish off the stanza. Wheaton continued to put the ball into the back of the net in the second stanza, as junior Zak Putnam (Cape Elizabeth, ME/Cape Elizabeth) scored twice to give Wheaton a commanding 9-3 lead with over 11 minutes until halftime. The Buccaneers were unable to score in the third period and got only a goal in the fourth, while Wheaton put up nine second-half goals to put the game away. Putnam led the way for the Lyons with six goals and an assist. Milligan contributed four goals and an assist, while classmate Evan Carbotti (Newport, RI/Portsmouth Abbey) had a hat-trick for the Lyons. Also contributing in the victory was senior J.J. Velez (New York, NY/South Kent) with a goal and three assists. Junior goalie Bryant Denny (Fair Haven, NJ/Rumson-Fair Haven) posted seven saves.
Women's Lacrosse (9-3, 5-1) Advances to NEWMAC Tournament Championship Game
The Wheaton College women's lacrosse team outlasted a late Mount Holyoke rally to capture an 8-6 victory and advance to the finals of the NEWMAC Tournament at Keefe Field. Advancing to Monday‚s title game for the second straight year, the Lyons will host Springfield in a rematch of the 2002 conference tourney title game.
The Lyons took an early lead when sophomore Vanessa Pisano (Vineyard Haven, MA/Martha's Vineyard) scored five minutes into the game. Junior Lauren Maynes (Woodstock, VT/Woodstock Union) followed with a goal only four minutes later to give the Lyons the early 2-0 advantage. The score would remain 2-1 until late in the half when Wheaton rattled off three goals over a three-minute span. Goals by senior Heather Horne (Gloucester, MA/Pingree School), Pisano and Maynes gave the hosts a 5-1 lead at the break. Ten minutes into the second stanza, Wheaton had a 7-2 lead and look poised to secure the win. Mount Holyoke however scored three unanswered goals midway through the half to close the gap to 7-5. Maynes rescued Wheaton however, as she netted a goal for the top-seeded Lyons with under two minutes to play, which ended any hope for a Mount Holyoke comeback. Sophomore goalkeeper A.J. Vasiliou (Middletown, CT/Mercy) recorded 12 saves.
Softball (32-6, 14-2) Set for Championship Round of NEWMAC Tournament
The Wheaton College softball team is set for the championship round of the NEWMAC Tournament, as the Lyons put together a string of three straight victories in advancing to Tuesday's championship game. Host Wheaton blanked MIT, 9-0 in a first round game on Thursday and then came back to defeat fourth seed Smith, 4-0 and third seed Coast Guard, 5-0 on Sunday. Winners of 12 consecutive games, the Lyons are in search of their fourth NEWMAC Championship in the five-year existence of the league.
In the first round of the tourney against MIT, junior Jackie Demling (Norwood, MA/Norwood) tossed four scoreless innings and the Wheaton offense exploded for nine runs and 11 hits in five innings. Wheaton opened the scoring in the first inning, posting four runs on three hits with two MIT fielding errors. Sophomore Jennifer Nelligan (Brockton, MA/Brockton) highlighted the inning with a two-run homerun, her third of the season, to make the score 3-0. The Lyons doubled their lead in the bottom half of the third, adding four runs and five hits to extend its lead to an 8-0 lead. Junior Lori Hill (Chestnut Hill, MA/Newton North) posted an RBI triple to plate Nelligan. The Lyons added their ninth run in the fourth. Senior co-captain Rachael Powers (Quincy, MA/North Quincy) and sophomore Sarah Malloy (Cumberland, RI/Cumberland) were the lone multiple hitters for Wheaton. Malloy went 2-for-3 with one run scored and an RBI, while Powers was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Demling worked four innings while fanning five Engineer batters with no walks, while freshman Amy Rowbottom (Norridgewock, ME/Skowhegan Area) threw an inning of relief.
In Sunday's opener, despite mustering only two hits in the game, Wheaton used six strong innings of work from Demling to record the shutout over Smith. Smith made things interesting in the top of the first, as the Pioneers placed runners on first and third. Demling was able to force the fifth batter of the inning to fly out to center field, ending the Smith threat. Wheaton bounced back in the bottom of the third, as sophomore Kate Malloy (Cumberland, RI/Cumberland) singled up the middle for the Lyons' first hit of the game. Advancing to third on a fly ball and a ground out, Malloy scored on a bloop single from senior co-captain Maren Schrader (Canby, OR/Canby). On the next at-bat, junior Brianna Shawah (Pompton Plains, NJ/Pequannock Township) hit what appeared to be the third out of the inning, however the ball was dropped in left field and Schrader came all the way around from first for the Lyons' second run. Wheaton tacked on two more runs in the fifth inning, courtesy of three Smith errors. Demling threw six strong innings, striking out six Smith batters and walking none. Rowbottom closed the door in the seventh, putting the Pioneers down in order.
Against Coast Guard, Wheaton posted five runs on five hits and utilized three Bear errors in the bottom of the sixth inning to capture the victory. The Blue and White posted two hits in the bottom of the first, but the Bears were able to squash the Lyon threat by catching Schrader attempting to advance to third base on a ground ball and then inducing a ground ball to end the inning. Tied 0-0 in the sixth, junior Carmella Ranieri (Framingham, MA/Framingham) reached first on an error and later scored on throwing error off the bat of Schrader in the next at-bat. Following a single by Shawah, Nelligan doubled home Schrader and Shawah with her ninth double of the season. Nelligan then scored on a single by Powers to make the score 4-0. Wheaton added its fifth run when Hill scored off the third Coast Guard error of the inning. On the mound, Demling was stellar, tossing a complete-game two-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts in earning her 21st victory of the season. Offensively, Shawah and Powers were both 2-for-3, with Powers adding an RBI and Shawah a run scored.
NEWMAC Pitcher-of-the-Week Nod Goes to Demling for Fourth Time
Demling was once again selected as the NEWMAC Pitcher of the Week, this time for the week ending on Sunday, April 20. Demling has now achieved this honor four times this season. She also earned ECAC Pitcher-of-the-Week accolades for the third occasion this season. Demling posted a perfect 6-0 record on the week and helped lead the Lyons to their fifth consecutive conference regular season championship. In six games, she posted an impressive 1.11 earned run average with 26 strikeouts and just 18 hits allowed in 38 innings. She also tossed a pair of complete-game shutouts. Highlighting the week came against MIT, when Demling hurled her first career no-hitter. She was one batter away from pitching a perfect game, as she retired 21 of her 22 batters faced. Demling also recorded a combined four conference victories over Smith and Springfield. Her other win was in non-league action against Salve Regina. Demling continues to pace the league in ERA, strikeouts and wins.
Men's Tennis (15-5, 4-2) Reaches Semifinal Round of NEWMAC Tournament
The Wheaton College men's tennis team capped its most successful season in program history by reaching the semifinal round of the NEWMAC Tournament this week. Held at Wheaton's Beard Field House inside the Haas Athletic Center, the fourth-seeded Lyons downed fifth seed Springfield, 4-1 in the first round and then fell to five-time defending conference champion MIT, 5-0 in the semifinal match. On Wednesday, Wheaton fell to Coast Guard, 5-2 in the conference regular season finale.
In their final regular season contest of the season against Coast Guard, the Lyons saw the Bears quickly take a 1-0 lead by winning the first two doubles matches of the afternoon. The freshman tandem of Mike Moss (Needham, MA/Needham) and Jeff Selesnick (Concord, NH/Concord) posted the lone doubles victory, 8-6. In singles action, Coast Guard won in the one through three spots as well as the fifth position to secure the victory. High school teammates Selesnick and Nick Potter (Concord, NH/Concord) posted the lone singles victories for the Blue and White, with Potter defeating his opponent, 6-4, 6-2 in the fourth spot and Selesnick winning, 7-6, 6-4 in the sixth position.
Hosting its second conference tournament in four years, Wheaton and Springfield took to the courts in the opening round on Saturday. In a rematch of last year's first round contest, the Lyons avenged their loss to the Pride. Starting with singles matches while playing to decision, Wheaton collected victories in the second through fifth slots. Junior captain Scott Longmire (Belmont, MA/Belmont) and classmate Adam Wright (West Bloomfield, MI/West Bloomfield) had little difficulty in the second and third positions, winning 10-3 and 10-2 respectively. Junior Ian Peck (Mount Vernon, NH/Souhegan) won 10-7 in the fourth spot, while Potter completed the sweep with a 10-5 victory in the fifth position.
In the semifinal round, the Lyons fell to a highly-touted MIT squad. Despite dropping straight-set setbacks in all five matches, the Blue and White put up a valiant fight, as freshman Matt Sheers (Beacon, NY/Beacon), Longmire and Wright posted strong performances in the top three spots.
Wheaton Women Capture Fifth Straight NEWMAC Championship, Men Finish Fifth
The Wheaton College women's track and field squad posted 181.50 points Sunday afternoon en route to its fifth consecutive New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Championship. The Lyon women have now won six straight conference crowns. The men posted 62 points and finished in fifth place overall.
The women posted 16 all-conference (first and second place finishes) performances on the day, with nine NCAA Division III national meet provisional qualifying standards and three NEWMAC records. Leading the way was sophomore Tessa Donoghue (Springfield, MA/Cathedral) and first-year Aspen James (Woodbury, MN/Woodbury), who won three events each. Donoghue placed first in the long jump and triple jump by posting jumps of 5.45m and 11.57m, respectively. Her triple jump mark was good enough to exceed the provisional distance. Donoghue also was a part of the winning 4x400-meter relay in addition to finishing second in the high jump. James had provisional times in the 100 (12.25) and 200-meter dashes (24.89) in addition to running a leg in the victorious 4x100M relay.
In the hurdle events, senior Noreen Kordzeil (Chittenango, NY/Chittenango) took the 100-meter hurdles title in a provisional and conference record time of 14.61 while placing second in the 400M hurdles in 1:04.99. Winning the 400-meter hurdles was junior Kim Spence (Barrington, NH/Dover), who posted a provisional time of 1:04.26. Also recording victories on the afternoon was junior Amber James (Woodbury, MN/Woodbury), who registered a provisional time of 56.52 in the 400-meter dash, sophomores Kathrine Wallace (Glenmoore, PA/The Hill School) in the high jump (1.63m) and Kirsten Larsen (Hampden, MA/Minnechaug Regional) in the javelin with a provisional and NEWMAC record throw of 40.83M. Rounding out the all-conference performances was senior Kristen Cullen (Stoneham, MA/Stoneham), who finished second in the 100M hurdle event with a provisional time of 14.62 and freshman Noelle Battista (Warwick, RI/Toll Gate), who came in second in the pole vault with a provisional vault of 3.36M.
In the relay events, both the 4x100 and 4x400-meter squads posted top finishes. The 4x100M team, consisting of Spence, Aspen James, senior Jana Bromell (Spencer, MA/David Prouty) and freshman Oly Wirtz (Fitchburg, MA/Fitchburg) posted a time of 49.63, while the 4x400M team of Bromell, Kordzeil, Donoghue and Wirtz finished in a conference record time of 3:58.34.
On the men's side, five individuals and the 4x400-meter relay team all earned all-conference accolades on the afternoon, led by junior Tyrone McClain (New Haven, CT/Hillhouse), who captured first place in the 100 and 200-meter dashes. Classmate Eric Benson (Southbury, CT/Pomperaug) won the 400-meter dash in a NEWMAC record of 48.57 and finished second to McClain in the 200M. Sophomore Dan Olson (Voorheesville, NY/Albany Academy) won the high jump with a provisional jump of 2.06m. Rounding out the all-conference selections was the 4x400-meter relay team, consisting of McClain, Benson, sophomore Adam Walker (Westfield, NJ/Westfield) and freshman Ajay Sisodia (Andover, MA/Andover), capturing the title in 3:21.33.
Donoghue Selected as ECAC Co-Field Athlete of the Week
Donoghue was selected as the ECAC Co-Field Athlete of the Week for the week ending on Sunday, April 20. A sophomore with the Lyons, Donoghue posted three NCAA Division III national meet provisional qualifying standards at the Solomon Husky Invitational hosted by Northeastern University at the Solomon Track in Dedham. No team scores were kept at the meet, as Donoghue finished first in the long jump and triple jump events and second in the 400-meter dash with a time of 57.38. She also ran a leg in the 4x100-meter relay team that placed second in 49.56.
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