Weekly Lyon

Baseball (42-10, 11-1) Reaches First National Title Contest During NCAA Tournament

The nationally-ranked Wheaton College baseball team capped the best season in program history by going 4-2 at the NCAA Division III Tournament championship in Grand Chute, Wisconsin, falling just shy of its first national crown by falling in the title game to Marietta College (OH), 7-2. The Lyons, ranked sixth in the latest American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) national poll, started play Friday with a 2-0 win over North Carolina Wesleyan College before dropping a 3-0 decision on Saturday to Chapman University (CA) and falling into the loser's bracket. After pulling out a 5-4 victory against University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point on Sunday, Wheaton used 13-4 and 4-3 triumphs on Monday over Montclair State University (NJ) and Chapman, respectively, to advance to Tuesday's final round. With Wheaton needing two wins to claim the national title, the Lyons fell in the opener to Marietta.

Following the tournament, sophomore hurlers Louie Bernardini (Gray, ME/Gray-New Gloucester) and Chris McDonough (Weymouth, MA/Weymouth) earned All-Tournament Team selections. McDonough and classmate Josh Moore (Manchester, NH/Manchester Memorial) each tied a school record by notching their eighth win of the season during the tournament, and ABCA All-America sophomore Scott Guillerault (South Portland, ME/South Portland) matched a four-year-old program mark by slugging his 14th home run of the season.

In Wheaton's opener with North Carolina Wesleyan, McDonough tossed eight shutout innings, and sophomore Jake Yagjian (Brewster, MA/Nauset Regional) drove in both runs and was 4-for-5. The Lyons plated the winning run in the first inning, as senior Rafael Castillo (Queens, NY/Christ The King) singled, advanced to third on an error and scored a Yagjian single. Senior Jamie Baker (Boxford, MA/Masconomet Regional) finished things off in the ninth, recording his 10th save of the year.

Against Chapman, the Lyons suffered just their third loss in 35 games, as Wheaton's offense was stifled by a pitcher with the best earned run average in NCAA baseball. The Panthers scored all of the game's runs in the first inning, as four Wheaton relievers combined for 6.2 shutout innings to keep the Lyons close. Moore came on for three frames, while sophomore Keith Pescosolido (Newton, MA/Newton North) and freshmen Jared Barnes (North Attleboro, MA/Bishop Feehan) and Josh Simmons (Cranston, RI/Cranston West) combined for the final 3.2 innings. Junior Brandon Leonard (Brockton, MA/Brockton) had half of Wheaton's hits, going 3-for-3 with his 19th stolen base.

For the first time in program history, Wheaton reached the 40-win plateau after sustaining a Wisconsin-Stevens Point comeback in the ninth. Bernardini carried a three-hitter into the ninth, struck out five and walked two in 8.1 innings, while junior Travis Anthoine (Portland, ME/Portland) went 3-for-3 with two RBI, two runs and two doubles. Yagjian drove in a pair of runs, Guillerault was 3-for-4, and junior Adam Laplante (Harwich, MA/Harwich) went 2-for-3. Castillo set a school record with three sacrifice bunts during the contest.

While holding a slim 4-1 lead heading into the seventh against Montclair State, the Lyon offense broke out for nine runs on three hits during its final two times at bat to ice the victory. Moore turned in a stellar performance while pitching on one day of rest, yielding just one run on four hits heading into the ninth inning while striking out seven and not issuing a walk. Guillerault went 2-for-4 with six RBI and a three-run homer, which tied Damon Whalen's record set in 2002. Laplante immediately followed Guillerault's shot with a seventh-inning longball of his own and finished 2-for-5 with two RBI. Yagjian scored three times, and senior Andy Koocher (Portland, ME/Portland) went 2-for-4.

Sophomore Pat O'Connor (Mattapoisett, MA/Old Rochester Regional) slugged a two-out, three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning in a rematch with Chapman to turn a 3-1 deficit into a 4-3 victory and send Wheaton into the finals. Facing a 3-0 hole, and standing just six outs from elimination, the Lyons put all of their runs on the board during the fateful eighth frame. Anthoine led off with a triple and scored on a Yagjian groundout, and the Lyons placed two on with one out. Chapman's starter from the teams' first meeting came in from the bullpen and induced a fielder's choice for the second out before surrendering a gopher ball to O'Connor, who drove the ball just inside the left field foul pole against the pitcher with the best ERA in the nation. Junior hurler Joe White (Bedford, NH/Manchester West) turned in a tremendous performance, despite getting the no-decision, as he allowed only one earned run in 7.2 innings in his first appearance since May 15, and his first start since May 4. Baker completed the final 1.1 frames for the Lyons, earning the win behind a perfect ninth inning.

Wheaton's quest for a national championship fell just short against Marietta, as the Pioneers scored all of their runs on home runs during the middle three innings. Facing a 7-0 deficit, Wheaton responded in the top half of the seventh, as Leonard and O'Connor each drove in a run. The Lyons went down fighting in the ninth, placing Leonard and Laplante on the corners with two down before the Pioneers closed the door. Leonard finished 2-for-4 to lead the Lyons, who finished with seven hits.

Harlow Earns Fourth Career All-America Honor at NCAA Track and Field Championship

Wheaton College junior Jennifer Harlow (East Bridgewater, MA/East Bridgewater) earned her fourth career All-America honor, tying for second in the high jump competition during the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championship, which ended Saturday at Benedictine University.

Harlow and freshman sprinter Chizoba Ezeigwe (Brockton, MA/Thayer Academy) each competed during the weekend, and Harlow's finish helped the Lyons place 41st out of 74 teams. The NCAA indoor high jump champ this past winter, Harlow turned in a leap of 5' 7", tying for second in the nation and for the best showing among New England competitors. Harlow has twice earned indoor All-America honors and last received outdoor accolades as a freshman in 2004. Ezeigwe competed in each the 200- and 400-meter dash events, falling just short of qualifying for the finals in each race. On Thursday, Ezeigwe ran a 25.12 during the 200M trials as the only freshman in the 20-athlete field. In Friday's 400M trials, she turned in a time of 57.16 as the lone New England entrant in the race.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 1/30/07.
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