NORTON , MA(taken from a Wheaton College press
release)- The nationally-ranked Wheaton College baseball
team's offense erupted for 19 runs through just three innings while
running its winning streak to 16 games en route to a 19-2
non-conference victory over Brandeis University Sunday afternoon at
Sidell Stadium.
The Lyons, who are ranked sixth in the country according to last
week's D3baseball.com poll, continued the program's best start with
a 17-1 record. Averaging 15 runs in its past three games, Wheaton
reached double figures for the 10th time this season. Brandeis fell
to 10-10.
Wheaton 's offense provided junior starter Nick Kostaras (North
Attleboro, MA/North Attleboro) all the run support he'd need in the
first inning alone with six runs on five hits coupled with a pair
of Judge miscues. The hosts chased the Brandeis starter after one
before plating seven runs in the second and six more in the third
to put the game away early.
With the Lyons batting around the order in each of the first three
innings, sophomore Sean Munley (Trenton, NJ/The Hun School of
Princeton) belted a two-run double to right center in the first,
while sophomore Hadi Raad (Hastings-on-Hudson, NY/Hastings) and
freshmen Dan Haugh (Andover, MA/Saint John's Prep) and Hal Landers
(Salem, NH/Salem) each had an RBI.
In the second, senior Nick Pecora's (Highland Park, NJ/Immaculata)
deep bases-clearing double to right center capped a seven-run
frame. Haugh and junior Paul Malaguti (Andover, MA/Andover) plated
a run apiece. Landers, Malaguti, Pecora, Raad and junior Jeff
Lieneck (Foxboro, MA/Xaverian Brothers) each picked up an RBI in
the third to complete Wheaton's scoring.
Brandeis pushed two across in the fourth on run-scoring singles
from sophomore Eric Rosenberg (Oakland, NJ/Indian
Hills) and freshman Sean O'Hare (Southampton,
MA/Hampshire Regional) , but those proved to be the game's final
runs.
Kostaras worked six innings and yielded eight hits with one
strikeout to move to 2-0, while seniors Karl Olson (Bethel,
ME/Gould Academy) and Josh Simmons (Cranston, RI/Cranston West) and
sophomore Pat Martin (Rockland, MA/Rockland) tossed a hitless frame
apiece. Judge sophomore John McGrath (New York,
NY/Trevor Day School) surrendered four earned runs on five hits
with one walk in the loss.
Junior Sean Buckley (Webster, MA/Bartlett) paced Wheaton's
onslaught by going 3-for-5 with two runs, Malaguti finished 2-for-2
with three runs and two RBI, while Pecora went 2-for-3 with four
RBI, three runs and two doubles. Munley batted 2-for-3 with three
runs and a pair of RBI, Lieneck had two hits, Haugh and Raad each
scored twice with two RBI, Landers plated two runs, while sophomore
Eric Laliberte (Nashua, NH/Bishop Guertin) had two runs.