Box Score NORTON, Mass. – Against teams ranked in this week's New England poll, the Eastern Connecticut State University baseball team remained winless in five games, digging an early hole for the second straight day against a top opponent and losing an 8-3 decision to Wheaton College Thursday afternoon at Sidell Stadium.
One day after falling behind by seven runs after two innings to Western New England University (ranked third in New England), fourth-ranked Eastern (22-10-1) trailed 5-0 after three innings against No. 2 Wheaton (25-10) and ended up with its second straight loss on the heels of a nine-game winning streak. The Lyons are ranked No. 13 nationally after reaching last year's NCAA national title game.
Wheaton, which defeated Western New England in the New England Regional Tournament championship game last year at the Eastern Baseball Stadium, knocked out Eastern senior righty Evan Chamberlain (Amston) in the third inning by scoring five runs on eight hits.
The Lyons led 6-0 after four innings before the Warriors answered with three in the sixth. Eastern threatened for more in the seventh by loading the bases on a one-out double by junior catcher and No. 9 hitter Nick Ververis (Plainfield), single by junior shortstop Brendan Lynch (Wethersfield) and walk to junior third baseman Mike Vaccarelli (Wolcott), but Corey Laliberte got All-New England senior first baseman on a 1-2-3 doubleplay to leave the tying runs aboard.
As it prepares for the start of its conference tournament Saturday, Wheaton utilized six relievers after freshman righty Jared Clement stymied Eastern on one hit through the first three innings.
Trailing 6-0, Eastern sliced the lead in half with three runs in the sixth on a leadoff walk by Ververis, singles by Vaccarelli and senior centerfielder Mike Riemer (Ellington), two walks, an infield throwing error, and a wild pitch.
Riemer was the only Eastern player with more than one hit, recording two, while Vaccarelli, Balowski and Ververis all reached safely twice.
Senior rightfielder Paul O'Neill was 4-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored for Wheaton, which presented 17th-year head coach Eric Podbelski with his 500th coaching victory. Sophomore catcher Zach Horton added three hits, including a double, scored a run and drove in one, and freshman leadoff hitter Matt Lavanchy was 2-for-5 and knocked in his team's first two runs with a single in the second.
Eastern hosts the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Saturday in a Little East Conference noon doubleheader.
