Sports

Coast Guard Academy Sports Roundup

Bears swept in baseball and softball, compete in track and field

The Coast Guard Academy lost a pair of doubleheaders in baseball and softball games on Saturday, and competed in a track and field invitational. The following information was provided by Jason Southard, sports information director at the Coast Guard Academy:

Baseball: Wheaton 3, Coast Guard 0; Wheaton 7, Coast Guard 5

Alec Palioca tossed a complete-game shutout in the opener and junior Dan Gusovsky drove in four runs in the nightcap as the No. 10 Wheaton College baseball team ran their win streak to 12 games with a doubleheader sweep of Coast Guard in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action Saturday afternoon at Sidell Stadium.

Freshman Apolinar De la Cruz extended his hitting streak to 12 games while juniors Eric Jensen and Sean Ryan each stretched their hit streaks to seven as the Lyons (12-1, 6-0 NEWMAC) won game one 3-0 and game two 7-5. Following a season-opening loss to nationally-ranked Cortland State, Wheaton has won 12 consecutive games for the first time since April 15-May 1, 2010, sweeping the season series from conference foes MIT and Coast Guard in the process.

Paloica and Coast Guard junior Curt Barrett each worked three scoreless innings to start game one before Wheaton took a 1-0 lead in the fourth. Senior Dan Haugh and De la Cruz each drew two-out walks before both Gusovsky and senior John Keating were hit by pitches to bring in the first run of the game.

The Lyons doubled their lead in the fifth when Jensen drew a two-out walk and came around to score on a single by Haugh. They tacked on an insurance run in the sixth on an RBI single by senior Dan Demeo.

Palioca scattered six hits, walked one and struck out eight to improve to 2-0 on the season. Barrett, meanwhile, allowed five hits and three runs (two earned) with four walks and one strikeout. Senior Chris Izurieta recorded two hits for the Bears.

Coast Guard took advantage of three Wheaton errors to take a 4-0 lead midway through the third. Junior Ed Sella plated the first run of the game with a triple down the right field line in the second inning. Izurieta followed with a sac fly to center to bring in Cella and give the Bears a 2-0 lead. In the third, juniors Tyler Babkiewich and Joe Petry each scored on throwing errors to stretch the Bears lead to 3-0.

Wheaton answered with three runs in its half of the third to cut the Bears lead to one. Haugh drew a bases-loaded walk to bring in the Lyons first run, followed by a two-out, two-run double down the right field line by Gusovsky.

The Bears added another unearned run in the fifth when Babkiewich reached on a fielding error and scored on a throwing error to make it a 5-3 game. In the bottom half of the inning, Ryan led off with a single and advanced to third on a double by De la Cruz. Gusovsky followed with a double to left center that brought in both runners and tied the game at five. Keating capped the scoring with a two-run blast to left center to put Wheaton in front for good at 7-5.

Junior Corey Laliberte worked the first 4.2 innings for Wheaton and allowed four hits and five runs (two earned) with two walks and three strikeouts. Sophomore Nick Filloramo came on in relief of Laliberte in the fifth and worked 1.1 innings of scoreless relief to earn his first win of the season – less than 48 hours after earning a save in a 14-inning win at Endicott. Freshman Ben Johnson and senior David Longley each pitched one scoreless inning of relief before sophomore Ryan Grant worked a scoreless ninth to earn his fourth save of the season.

Keating finished game two 2-for-3 with two RBI while Ryan, De la Cruz, Gusovsky, and senior Hal Landers each tallied two hits.

Junior Riley Beecher allowed seven runs and ten hits in 4.1 innings in suffering his first loss of the season. He walked three and struck out two. Sella, junior Nolan Gallagher, and sophomore David Wolinski each recorded two hits for the Bears (7-10, 2-4 NEWMAC).

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Softball: Wheaton 6, Coast Guard 2; Wheaton 9, Coast Guard 8

Wheaton College sophomore catcher Ashley Brillon laced a single into the base of the centerfield fence to drive in the decisive run in the bottom of the seventh as the Lyons edged No.23 Coast Guard Academy 9-8 in the second game of a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) softball doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Clark Field. Wheaton opened the NEWMAC conference circuit with a 6-2 victory over the Bears in game one.

Sophomore shortstop Jenna Rocha powered the Lyons (8-8, 2-0 NEWMAC) offensive attack with a combined 3-for-4 performance at the plate with a home run and two RBI. Junior left fielder Amanda Drury also went 3-for-4 from the plate with a pair of RBI.

With game two tied at eight entering the seventh, senior first baseman Megan Roy led off with a ground-rule double to left center field. Junior Renee Laflam a bunt down the third base line to advance Roy to third. Laflam kept the pressure on Coast Guard with a delayed steal to put both runners in scoring position. Brillon then drove a 1-2 pitch over the head of the center fielder to provide the Lyons with a come-from-behind victory and complete the season sweep of the nationally-ranked Bears (11-7, 0-2).

Wheaton seemed to have the second half of the twinbill in control as they exploded for five runs in the first inning to grab an early lead. Rocha launched her second home run of the season over the left field fence to open the scoring for the hosts. Later in the frame, Wheaton utilized a walk, single and hit by pitch to load the bases. Brillon lifted a sacrifice fly to left field to plate the Lyons second run. And freshman Noelle Christmas produced the biggest hit of the inning when she drilled a three-run homer to left to match the team's most productive inning of the season. Christmas home run was the first of her collegiate career.

The Lyons extended their advantage to 6-0 in the next inning, but Coast Guard displayed its quick-strike abilities in the middle innings to whittle away its deficit. Freshman designated player Jesse Richardson laced a single up the middle in the third inning to push across the Bears first run of the ballgame. Junior third baseman Holli Bastinck followed suit with a three-run bomb to center field to chase sophomore starting pitcher Allison Baker. Junior right fielder Stacia Sarwinski gave Coast Guard its first lead of the series (7-6) with a three-run homer to center field to cap a four-run fifth.

Unfazed by the charging Bears, Wheaton forged an eight-all tie with a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth. The first two Lyon hitters reached safely to start the frame. A fielding error by the visitors loaded the bases with just one out. Drury worked a full-count walk to push across a run while Rocha followed with a sacrifice fly to right field to set the stage for Brillon's heroics in the seventh.

Christmas hurled 4.2 innings in relief of Baker to earn the victory. She allowed seven hits and four runs while striking out two. Walker was saddled with the loss, giving up nine runs on 12 hits.

Wheaton cracked the scoring column in its first at-bat in game one when Rocha led off with a double to center field. Roy attempted to move Rocha to third with a sacrifice bunt, but the errant throw into right field allowed the local nine to take the early 1-0 advantage.

Coast Guard used a little small ball of its own to even the contest at one in the top of second. Following a walk to start the frame, the Bears executed a sacrifice bunt to put their first runner in scoring position. Sophomore center fielder Kaitlin Ward dropped in a RBI single to her counterpart to plate Bastinck.

Wheaton responded with five unanswered runs over the course of the three subsequent innings to build a commanding 6-1 lead. Drury gave the hosts a lead they would never relinquish with an infield RBI single in the bottom of the second inning. Senior third baseman Valerie Tratner provided the Lyons with a little breathing room in the third with a one-out single up the middle that knocked in a pair of runs.

Wheaton capitalized on another Coast Guard defensive miscue to account for its final two runs of the game. With runners on first and second, junior right fielder Alanna Monahan pushed a sacrifice bunt to the left side of home plate. The Bears attempted to cut down the lead runner at third base, but an errant throw into left field enabled the Lyons to produce their final runs of the contest.

Baker settled down to retire seven out of the final eight Bears she faced to collect the complete-game victory. She allowed two runs (one earned) on just three hits while striking out one in seven innings of work. Junior Catherine Walker suffered the loss by surrendering three earned runs on seven hits while punching out four.

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Outdoor Track

Adam Scalesse won both the 110 hurdles (14.97) and the 400 hurdles (55.96) as the Bears placed third at the season opening Westfield State Invitational.

Will Baker won the discus throw with a best throw of 140-1 while Kemron Beache, Jake Bibb, and Ethan Baisden also scored in the discus in the 6, 7, and 8 spots throwing 123' 3", 119'5", and 115'11".

The 4x400 of Jordan Lee, Trevor Auth, Ben Wolhaupter, and Joe Kelly placed second with a time of 4:27.81.

Trevor Siperek took 3rd in the 5k crossing the tape in 15:19.58 while Andrew Horvath and Joe Kelly finished 4th and 6th running 15:43.64 and 15:45.33.

Ben Wolhaupter cleared 13' 3.5" in the pole vault to finish 3rd while Ian Sankey and Christian VonStralendorff took 5th and 8th in the pole vault clearing 12'9.5" and 10'10".

In the women's competition, Emily Trudeau was the top Coast Guard finisher as she placed second in the shot put as the Bears placed eighth at the Westfield State Invitational.

Trudeau had a throw of 36 feet, 6.75 inches. She also had a career-best throw of 121 feet, one inch in the hammer to place eighth.

Also for the Bears, Kyle Sutchek was fourth in the discus (116-6), Gina Caylor was fourth in the pole vault (9-6.25) and Beth Gollin was fourth in the 1,500 meters in 4:54.42.

Hannah Seeland was seventh in the hammer (123-5), Moira McNeil was seventh in the 5K in 19:45.44, Brandy Lowry was seventh in the high jump (4-9) and Abby Bishop took seventh in the 100 hurdles (16.57).

The Bears 4x400 ran of Sarah Hohenberger, Anne Schneider, Elizabeth Baumsteiger, and Rachel Deschene ran 4:28.66.


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