Five-run seventh-inning rally leads Lyons to 11-6 victory over Hope

March 14, 2008

PHOENIX, AZ- Freshman Sean Munley's (Trenton, NJ/The Hun School of Princeton) two-run homer helped trigger a five-run rally in the seventh inning, and senior southpaw Chris McDonough (Weymouth, MA/Weymouth) struck out nine batters to lead the Wheaton College baseball team past Hope College of Michigan, 11-6 Friday afternoon.

The 13th-ranked Lyons improved to 3-4, while the Flying Dutchmen, who are receiving votes in the Collegiate Baseball preseason poll, opened its spring season today.

Wheaton and Hope battled to a pair of ties this afternoon, including trading four runs each in the second inning before being knotted at six after three-and-a-half frames. Behind a season-best 14 hits, the Lyons plated their five seventh-inning runs on five hits. Junior Nick Pecora (Highland Park, NJ/Immaculata) opened the seventh with a single to right center and, two batters later, Munley launched his two-run shot over the right center field fence.

Sophomore Jeff Lieneck (Foxboro, MA/Xavierian Brothers) continued the seventh with a single to left and, following a Flying Dutchmen pitching change and a fly ball to center for the frame's second out, senior Ken Depasse (Holden, MA/Saint John's), who caught the ninth inning's second out and gunned down a runner at the plate to complete the game-ending double play, got hit by a pitch. A wild pitch advanced the runners into scoring position and a bloop double from freshman Hadi Raad (Hastings-on-Hudson, NY/Hastings) that landed just inside the right field line made it a 10-6 game. Raad, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI, three runs, a stolen base and a walk, scored Wheaton's 11th run on a throwing error.

Wheaton had five multiple-hit performances on the day, as Lieneck and freshman Eric Laliberte (Nashua, NH/Bishop Guertin) tallied three hits apiece. Lieneck batted 3-for-5 with three runs, while Laliberte was 3-for-6 with three RBI. Munley went 2-for-4 with two RBI, two runs, a stolen base and hit by pitch. Junior Robert Foote (Walpole, MA/Walpole) was 2-for-5 with an RBI and run.

McDonough, who owns Wheaton's all-time strikeouts record with 193, surrendered six runs on nine hits with two walks in seven innings. Junior Jared Barnes (North Attleboro, MA/Bishop Feehan) fanned one batter through a 1-2-3 eighth, while senior Keith Pescosolido (Newton, MA/Newton North) closed out the game with a scoreless ninth.

The Lyons seeks their third win in four games tomorrow afternoon against Montclair State University at 12:00 p.m.

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