WESTFIELD, Mass. – Wheaton College starter Zach Begin shut Westfield State down on three hits over seven innings while striking out 10, to propel the Lyons to a 5-3 win over the Owls in a non-conference baseball game at Hagan Field on Tuesday afternoon.
Wheaton grabbed the lead with single runs in the fifth and sixth inning. In the fifth, Nick Croteau singled and eventually came around to score on A.J. Guindon's base hit to centerfield. In the sixth, Jake Studley led off with a double down the left field line, and scored when Zach Dimattio followed with a single to right center.
The Owls finally got on the board in the seventh. Max Siverman singled through the hole on the left side for just the second hit of the day for Westfield. A passed ball advanced Silverman to second, and Casey Boudreau rapped a double into the right-field corner two hitters later to score Silverman to trim the lead to 2-1.
Wheaton (27-10) salted the game away with three runs in the eighth, two scoring on a base hit from Guindon, who finished 3-5 with five runs batted in.
Westfield (22-13) mustered a rally in the bottom half of the inning getting RBI singles from Zach Graveline and Martin, but with two on and one out, Silverman lined into a double play with a smash up the middle that was gloved by Wheaton 2B Mike Maher, who threw to Cavan Brady covering at second to double off Graveline on a bang-bang play that ended the threat.
Dom Cunha came on the close out the game for Wheaton, striking out the side in the ninth to earn his ninth save of the season. Begin (W, 3-1) picked up the win, striking out 10 and walking none, allowing three hits and no earned runs, finally being lifted after seven innings.
Anthony Teberio finished with three hits and Dimattio two for the Lyons.
Starter Luke Mathewson (L, 1-1) took the tough luck loss for the Owls, tossing an effective five innings while scattering seven hits with two earned runs. Joe Fischer, Joe Espinola and Matt Motyka all tossed scoreless innings out of the pen for the Owls.
Graveline was the lone Owls with multiple hits.
Westfield State will be back in action on Friday, starting a three-game set against Bridgewater State. Westfield is tied for second in the MASCAC, three games back of the Bears. An Owl sweep this weekend would propel Westfield to a share of the league's regular season title and the top seed in the conference tournament. The Owls can finish anywhere betwee first and fourth in the MASCAC pending this weekend's full results.