Baseball Drops 11-2 Decision to Wheaton College

Box Score

NORTON, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State College baseball team dropped an 11-2 decision to local rival Wheaton College this afternoon from Wheaton's Sidell Stadium in Norton, Mass.

Senior Scott Guillerault (South Portland, ME) and junior Nick Pecora's (Highland Park, NJ) combined to drive in seven runs as the Lyons earned their 20th win of the season.
 
Ranked ninth nationally in yesterday's American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) poll, Wheaton has won 18 of its last 19 games to improve to 20-5.  The Lyons also reached the 20-win plateau for the 11th time in the program's 11-year varsity history.  The Bears fell to 11-6 with the loss.
 
Guillerault and Pecora broke open a 4-2 game in the sixth, as each launched three-run homers, their first dingers of the season.  Wheaton's final seven runs came via the longball, as sophomore Paul Malaguti (Andover, MA) hit a solo shot over the right field fence in the seventh.  The Lyons smacked three home runs in a game after hitting just four during their first 24 contests.  Malaguti and Pecora hit the first of their careers, while Guillerault slugged his 24th, which is good for second in program annals.
 
The Lyons received a strong outing from sophomore Nick Kostaras (North Attleboro, MA), who improved to 3-0 by fanning six with no walks and yielding nine hits through seven innings.  Freshman Chad Kasik (Dudley, MA) set down the side in the eighth with one strikeout, while junior Karl Olson (Bethel, ME) fired a scoreless ninth.  Sophomore Spenser Hatstat (Clinton, MA) took the loss after giving up three runs on three hits while striking out two and walking five in 3.2-plus innings.
 
Back-to-back singles from sophomore Mark Claffey (Bellingham, MA) and senior Steve Smith (East Taunton, MA) enabled the Bears to place runners at the corners to start the game, and junior Kelly LaDow (East Falmouth, MA) grounded out to short to score Claffey.
 
Wheaton knotted the score in the second thanks to an RBI triple from senior Ken Depasse (Holden, MA) and tacked on a pair more on consecutive third-inning sacrifice flies off the bats of junior Robert Foote (Walpole, MA) and sophomore Jeff Lieneck (Foxboro, MA).
 
Smith tripled home freshman Steve Lambert (Milton, MA) in the fifth to trim Bridgewater State's deficit to one, but the Lyons quickly got that run back in the home half.  Lieneck began a two-out rally with a double down the left field line before scoring on a Pecora single up the middle.
 
Wheaton totaled 13 hits, with Guillerault leading the way by going 2-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, the home run, a double and a walk.  Pecora finished 2-for-4 while driving in four runs and scoring once, while Malaguti was 2-for-4 with two runs, an RBI on the homer and a walk.  Freshman Sean Munley (Trenton, NJ) batted 2-for-3 and drew a walk.  Lieneck and senior Jake Yagjian (Brewster, MA) scored two runs apiece.
 
Smith paced the Bears with a 3-for-4 performance to go alongside an RBI, while Lambert finished 2-for-3 with one run.  Bridgewater State accounted for 10 hits in the loss.
 
Wheaton remains at home tomorrow afternoon when it hosts non-league opponent Curry College at 3:30 p.m.  The last time the two teams played was during last year's NCAA New England Regional Tournament, a game won by the Lyons in 16 innings.