Baseball Falls to Wheaton, 11-6

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Wheaton College baseball team used a five-run seventh inning to erase a two-run deficit as the sixth-ranked Lyons went on to defeat Bridgewater State University, 11-6, on Tuesday afternoon at Alumni Park.

The Lyons, winners of 13 straight, improve to 14-1 on the season, while the Bears slip to 8-10.

Hal Landers (Salem, N.H.) paced the Wheaton 18-hit attack as he went 5-for-5 with four runs scored.  He reached safely in all six plate appearances as he was also hit by a pitch.

David Longley (Brunswick, Maine) picked up the win on the mound for Wheaton in relief of starter Mike McGinnis (Mashpee, Mass.).  Longley (2-0) gave up just one unearned run on one hit in 2 2/3 innings of work while striking out four.

Trailing 5-3 heading into the top of the seventh, Wheaton strung together six hits in the frame.  Keating tied the game with a two-run double, which also chased BSU starter Kenny Pennini (Millis, Mass.).  Keating would come around to score the go ahead run on a wild pitch, and Eric Jensen (Gorham, N.H.) and Sean Ryan (Norton, Mass.) added RBI singles to account for the scoring in the inning.

Keating finished 3-for-6 at the plate with two runs and two RBI, while Jensen, Dan Haugh (Andover, Mass.) and Apolinar De La Cruz (Providence, R.I.) added two hits apiece. De La Cruz also drove in four runs.

Wheaton would tack on three more runs in the ninth to pull away for the win.

Pennini (1-2) allowed six runs on 11 hits in 6 1/3 innings in the loss.  He walked one, hit a batter and struck out three. 

McGinnis was touched for five runs (three earned) on seven hits over 5 1/3 innings of work.  He walked one, hit two batters and struck out two in the no decision.

John Garabedian (Mansfield, Mass.) went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored to pace the host Bears offensively.  Ian Williams (Taunton, Mass.) added two hits and a walk in five trips to the plate, while Sean Riley (Fairhaven, Mass.) doubled, walked and scored a pair of runs in five plate appearances.

The two teams combined to make nine errors in the contest with the Lyons committing six of them.