Baseball (12-1, 2-0) Goes 3-0 in First Week Up North, Extends Winning Streak to 11

The nationally-ranked Wheaton College baseball team went 3-0 last week, tying for third in program history by extending its winning streak to 11 contests. The Lyons, who were ranked 12th in last week's D3baseball.com national poll, rallied past host Rhode Island College, 14-6 on Saturday before sweeping Springfield College, 12-3 and 8-3 in the homestanding Lyons' first New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) games of the season.

Wheaton plated five runs in each the eighth and ninth innings to overcome a 6-4 deficit at Rhode Island College. Junior Jeff Lieneck (Foxboro, MA/Xaverian Brothers) was 3-for-5 with three runs, two RBI and two doubles, while senior Nick Pecora (Highland Park, NJ/Immaculata) hit his third home run of the year and also doubled while collecting three runs, two hits, two RBI and two walks. Freshman Dan Haugh (Andover, MA/Saint John's Prep) had two hits, three runs and two RBI, and junior Paul Malaguti (Andover, MA/Andover) added two hits, two runs and two walks. Senior Karl Olson (Bethel, ME/Gould Academy) and freshman David Longley (Brunswick, ME/Brunswick) each tossed a shutout inning of relief, and sophomore Chad Kasik (Dudley, MA/Shepherd Hill Regional) went two innings out of the bullpen for the win.

In a rematch of the 2008 NEWMAC Tournament final, the Lyons piled up early runs in the opener against Springfield before breaking a late tie in game two. Wheaton scored 11 straight runs to snap an early tie in the first contest, as junior Jason Clucas (Peabody, MA/Saint John's Prep) had three RBI and a double, Malaguti went 2-for-2 with three runs, and sophomore Sean Munley (Trenton, NJ/The Hun School of Princeton) was 2-for-3 with two RBI and a homer. Senior Adam Gingras (Woonsocket, RI/Woonsocket) yielded one earned run over five-plus innings to earn the win, fanning five. In the nightcap, Wheaton plated five runs in the eighth to break a three-all deadlock. Freshman Dan Demeo's (Glastonbury, CT/Glastonbury) bunt single plated the winning run, Haugh finished 3-for-4, Pecora knocked in two runs, and Malaguti swatted a home run. Senior Louie Bernardini (Gray, ME/Gray-New Gloucester) struck out a career-high nine in 6.1 innings but did not receive a decision. Classmate Jared Barnes (North Attleboro, MA/Bishop Feehan) tossed 1.2 frames of one-hit ball for the win, and senior Josh Simmons (Cranston, RI/Cranston West) fanned three batters in the ninth.

After hitting 32 home runs in 91 total games the past two seasons, the Lyons have already swatted 12 in 13 contests this spring. Lieneck is second in program history with three career grand slams and sixth in times hit by a pitch (21), while Pecora is tied for ninth in triples (5). Simmons is second in pitching appearances (65) and saves (19), Barnes is sixth in pitching appearances (52), while Bernardini is sixth in wins (16) and innings pitched (191.2), tied for sixth in complete games (4) and is 10th in strikeouts (125). Gingras is tied for 10th in complete games (3).