Posted: Mar 26, 2010
NORTON, Mass. - The Wheaton College baseball team scored early and often during its home opener against Endicott on Friday afternoon, as the Lyons plated eight runs in the first two innings en route to an 18-1 triumph at Sidell Stadium. Extending its winning streak to three games, Wheaton, which is receiving national votes in the most recent D3baseball.com poll, improved to 6-4. The Lyons have scored at least eight runs in each of their six victories. Endicott slipped below the .500 mark and is now 5-6.
Wheaton finished with 12 hits, all coming on singles, while drawing 10 walks and having eight hit batsmen. While having more than enough run support early, freshman hurler Corey Laliberte (Fall River, Mass.) carried a no-hitter into the fourth inning during his first collegiate win. In seven innings of work, Laliberte faced five batters over the minimum and surrendered one unearned run on four hits. He also induced 15 groundouts.
Fifteen different Lyons played a hand in at least one run, with freshman Eric Jensen (Gorham, N.H.) going 2-for-3 with three runs batted in. Senior Jason Clucas (Peabody, Mass.) went 2-for-3 with two RBI, while classmate Paul Malaguti (Andover, Mass.) was 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Sophomore leadoff hitter Hal Landers (Salem, N.H.) scored three times, drove in two, walked twice and stole a base. Junior Eric Laliberte (Nashua, N.H.) also had three runs while drawing a pair of walks, while senior Jeff Lieneck (Foxboro, Mass.), sophomore John Keating (Duxbury, Mass.) and freshman Sean Ryan (Norton, Mass.) each scored twice. Senior Sean Buckley (Webster, Mass.) plated two runs, and junior Sean Munley (Trenton, N.J.) drew two walks.
Endicott junior \#Michael Drinkwater\# (Hamilton, Mass.) suffered the pitching loss during his first start of the season, allowing six earned runs on four hits with two strikeouts and three walks in 1.1 innings. Four different Gulls had one hit apiece.
The hosts plated five runs in the first, one in the second and three in the third for a quick 9-0 advantage before Endicott got one run back in the top half of the fourth. Wheaton answered with two runs in the home half before adding three in the sixth and four more in the seventh to cap the scoring.
The Lyons scored their five first-inning runs on three hits, two walks, a pair of hit-by-pitches and a Gull miscue. Landers made the score 1-0 after crossing the plate on a throwing error before Munley singled home Ryan for the game's second run. Jensen, Eric Laliberte and Raad also had RBI in the frame.
Wheaton continues its four-game weekend home swing with a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) doubleheader tomorrow against Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) at 12:00 p.m. Endicott hosts Wentworth on Saturday afternoon in a TCCC doubleheader in Beverly, Mass.
Release courtesy of Wheaton Sports Information
