The New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference

HARWICH, MA- Freshman Eric Laliberte's (Nashua, NH/Bishop Guertin) bases-clearing double to left center capped a four-run seventh that broke a 2-2 tie and helped push the second-seeded Wheaton College baseball team into the winner's bracket final of the double-elimination NCAA Division III New England Regional Tournament with a 12-2 triumph over number-three Keene State College Thursday night at Whitehouse Field.

Ranked 11th nationally according to the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA), the Lyons raised their overall record to 34-8 and will face top seed, second-ranked and undefeated Trinity College tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. for the right to advance to Saturday's championship round. Trinity, which is 39-0, is one win shy of matching the Division III record for most consecutive victories, set by Marietta College in 1999.

Junior righthanded pitcher Adam Gingras (Woonsocket, RI/Woonsocket) matched Wheaton's single-season record for wins with his eighth, improving to a perfect 8-0 while surrendering two runs on four hits with five strikeouts and one walk in seven-plus innings. Sophomore Paul Malaguti (Andover, MA/Andover) went 3-for-5 with three runs, a trio of RBI, two doubles and a home run.

Malaguti set the tone early with a leadoff double to right center in the first inning. Senior Jake Yagjian (Brewster, MA/Nauset Regional) laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance Malaguti a base before Malaguti scored on a wild pitch. The Lyons doubled their lead in the third, with senior Scott Guillerault (South Portland, ME/South Portland) drawing a walk to lead off the frame. Three batters later, Wheaton had runners at the corners thanks to a single from sophomore Jeff Lieneck (Foxboro, MA/Xaverian Brothers) before junior Nick Pecora (Highland Park, NJ/Immaculata) plated Guillerault with a base knock through the right side.

Gingras was impressive early, surrendering just one hit through the first 4.2 innings, including retiring eight straight batters from the second through fifth. With two down in the fifth, the Owls tied the game with a single swing of the bat, as senior Ryan Jones (Nashua, NH/Nashua) drove a two-run shot over the right center field fence.

After Yagjian's leadoff single chased Keene senior starter Phil Mabey (Williamstown, MA/Mount Greylock Regional) in the seventh, Guillerault greeted Owl sophomore reliever Rob Delbuono (Trumbull, CT/Trumbull) with a base knock through the left side. After a defensive miscue on a sacrifice bunt attempt loaded the bags, junior Robert Foote (Walpole, MA/Walpole) punched an RBI single through the left side to snap the tie. Three batters later, Laliberte stroked an opposite-field two-bagger that scored Foote, Pecora and freshman Sean Munley (Trenton, NJ/The Hun School of Princeton).

After Gingras went 1-2-3 in the home half of the seventh and Malaguti extended Wheaton's lead to five in the eighth thanks to his fourth homer of the season, freshman southpaw Chad Kasik (Dudley, MA/Shepherd Hill Regional) retired the three batters he faced in the bottom of the eighth in relief of Gingras. The Lyons batted around the order in the ninth with five insurance runs on four hits, highlighted by two-run hits from Guillerault and Malaguti. Sophomore Sean Buckley (Webster, MA/Bartlett) also drove in a run in the frame.

Nine different Lyons had at least one hit during Wheaton's 14-hit onslaught. Guillerault finished 2-for-3 with two RBI, a run and three walks, Foote was 2-for-3 with one RBI, a run, a double and a walk, while Pecora batted 2-for-5 with two runs and an RBI. Senior Ken Depasse (Holden, MA/Saint John's) drew a pair of bases on balls to go alongside one hit and a run.

Jones was Keene's lone multiple hitter, going 2-for-3, while Mabey yielded three runs on six hits with four walks in six-plus innings.

Four-Run Seventh Pushes Wheaton Past Keene State, 12-2 in NCAA Division III Baseball Tournament