Baseball (9-1) Pushes to Best 10-Game Start, Ends Trip with Eight Straight Victories

The nationally-ranked Wheaton College baseball team began the season with a program-record 9-1 start during its spring trip to Phoenix, as the Lyons won their final eight contests in Arizona. Wheaton, which was ranked 23rd in last week's D3baseball.com national poll, downed New York-based Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), 6-1 on March 7 to begin the trip before falling the next day against Saint John's University of Minnesota, 12-11 in 10 innings. The Lyons knocked off The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), 5-3 on March 9, downing a team that was receiving attention in the national poll, before sweeping Rockford College of Illinois, 12-7 and TCNJ, 6-0 on Tuesday. On Thursday, the Blue and White notched a 5-2 win over Division II Saint Cloud State University of Minnesota, which had received notice in its division's national poll. Wheaton knocked off fifth-ranked Johns Hopkins University of Maryland, the defending national runner up, 10-6 on Friday before downing regional foe Western New England College, 8-2 on Saturday. In a sweep on Sunday, the Lyons defeated Roger Williams University, 13-9 and William Paterson University of New Jersey, 25-11.

Against RIT, freshman Dan Haugh (Andover, MA/Saint John's Prep) homered while going 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI in his first collegiate game, while senior Adam Gingras (Woonsocket, RI/Woonsocket) yielded one run over seven innings for the win. Junior Jeff Lieneck (Foxboro, MA/Xaverian Brothers) had two hits, freshman Hal Landers (Salem, NH/Salem) added two hits and two steals, sophomore Hadi Raad (Hastings-on-Hudson, NY/Hastings) walked twice with two RBI, and junior Sean Buckley (Webster, MA/Bartlett) scored two runs.

Wheaton rallied from a 10-2 deficit versus Saint John's with six runs in the seventh and three in the eighth before yielding single runs in the ninth and 10th. Freshman David Brandt (Contoocook, NH/Hopkinton) came off the bench to go 3-for-3 with two runs, senior Nick Pecora (Highland Park, NJ/Immaculata) had three hits, four RBI, two runs and a homer, while sophomore Sean Munley (Trenton, NJ/The Hun School of Princeton) went 3-for-5 with two doubles and three RBI. Junior Paul Malaguti (Andover, MA/Andover) walked three times, sophomore Alex Rossi (Norwood, MA/Norwood) knocked in a pair of runs, and freshman Dan Demeo (Glastonbury, CT/Glastonbury) was 2-for-3. Junior Jon Shepard (Salisbury, MA/Triton Regional) suffered the loss in relief.

During the Lyons' first contest with TCNJ on the trip, Munley was 2-for-3 against his hometown team, while Haugh and junior Jason Clucas (Peabody, MA/Saint John's Prep) both homered. Haugh finished with two hits, while junior Nick Kostaras (North Attleboro, MA/North Attleboro) yielded two runs over seven innings for the win. Sophomore Chad Kasik (Dudley, MA/Shepherd Hill Regional) came on to earn his first collegiate save, working two innings.

Against Rockford, Wheaton rallied from a 4-2 deficit with seven runs in the fourth inning. Sophomore Eric Laliberte (Nashua, NH/Bishop Guertin) was 3-for-3 with three runs, two RBI, two doubles and two bases on balls, while Lieneck had two hits, two runs and three RBI. Malaguti had two hits, Buckley walked twice and scored a pair of runs, while Munley also drew two walks. Sophomore Pat Martin (Rockland, MA/Rockland) tossed five innings to earn the win in his first game since May 2007, and his first start since March 2007.

In his first collegiate appearance since May 2007, senior Louie Bernardini (Gray, ME/Gray-New Gloucester) took a no-hitter into the ninth versus TCNJ before yielding a one-out infield single, the only hit he allowed over 8.1 innings while fanning eight batters. Pecora had two hits, including a home run, while driving in three, and Haugh had three hits. Laliberte added two hits and two RBI, Clucas and Raad each had a pair of knocks, Landers scored twice and swiped two bags, while Lieneck walked twice.

Sophomore southpaw Kevin Calabro (Andover, MA/Andover) yielded just one run on three hits in six innings during his first collegiate start, fanning five Saint Cloud State batters while notching the victory. Pecora went 4-for-5, Haugh and Landers had two hits apiece, and senior closer Josh Simmons (Cranston, RI/Cranston West) earned the four-out save.

Against Johns Hopkins, Lieneck went 4-for-5, while Haugh and Laliberte each had two hits and three RBI, with Haugh going deep. Malaguti was 3-for-4 with two runs, Raad added two hits and two RBI, Landers scored twice, and Pecora drew a pair of walks. Gingras yielded three runs over seven innings for the win, senior Karl Olson (Bethel, ME/Gould Academy) came out of the bullpen to escape a jam behind two strikeouts during a 1-2-3 eighth, and Simmons threw a shutout ninth.

Senior lefty Brian Hughes (Dudley, MA/Shepherd Hill Regional) threw six shutout frames against Western New England, classmate Jared Barnes (North Attleboro, MA/Bishop Feehan) and freshman David Longley (Brunswick, ME/Brunswick) followed with one no-hit inning apiece, and Shepard fanned three batters in an inning of work. Haugh and Malaguti both had two hits and two RBI while smacking homer, Lieneck was 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI, and Laliberte scored three runs.

After Roger Williams rallied from a five-runs deficit with five runs in the seventh and three in the eighth, the Lyons tallied eight runs in the bottom of the eighth to take the lead back. Kostaras fanned eight in 6.1 innings before Shepard picked up the win in relief. Munley finished 4-for-4 with two doubles, two runs and two RBI, while Malaguti added two hits, two runs and four RBI. Lieneck was plunked twice, scored four runs and drove in two more, Pecora added a pair of RBI, and Landers had two hits.

Against William Paterson, the Lyons blew open a one-run game with seven runs in the seventh inning and six in each the eighth and ninth. Bernardini went six innings to earn the win, Lieneck hit a grand slam en route to recording three hits, two runs and five RBI, while sophomore Tad Skelley (Wolfeboro, NH/Holderness School) was 4-for-4 with four runs, three RBI and two walks. Raad contributed two hits, four runs and three RBI, while Landers doubled twice with two runs, two RBI and two walks. Laliberte added two runs, three RBI and two walks, Brandt had two hits, two runs and two RBI, while Malaguti scored three runs. Buckley was 2-for-2 with two RBI, Haugh added two hits and two runs, while Demeo drew a pair of bases on balls.

Lieneck is second in program history with three career grand slams and sixth in times hit by a pitch (21). Simmons is second in pitching appearances (64) and saves (19), Barnes is sixth in pitching appearances (51), while Bernardini is sixth in wins (16) and innings pitched (185.1).