BROCKTON, Mass. – Lesley University completed their first-ever conference sweep with a pair of wins over New England Collegiate Conference foe Newbury College this afternoon at Campanelli Stadium. The first game of the day, a continuance of a game stopped due to poor weather on March 29th, saw the Lynx hang on for a 15-9 victory before Lesley claimed the season sweep with a 4-1 in the nightcap.
The pair of wins also gives the Lynx a program-best eight wins in the conference. The previous mark was set in the 2013 campaign when they completed the season with six victories in the NECC.
The Lynx and Nighthawks resumed play in game one with Lesley leading by a commanding 10-0 advantage. Before the rains came three weeks ago senior right fielder Tyler Plourd (Canton, Conn.) pulled a three-run homerun over the left field fence off senior right-hander Steven Saia (Avon, Mass.) as the Lynx batted around in a seven-run top of the third.
When the teams returned to the diamond this afternoon, senior southpaw Travis Wade (Portland, Maine) came on in relief of Saia with a runner on first and two outs. The Lynx were able to push across one more run in the top of the third then another run an inning later when Plourd connected for his second home run of the game, a solo shot left field, to take a 12-0 lead.
First year centerfielder Ian Hruniak (Lutz, Fla.) opened the bottom of the fourth lacing a single into left field. Two batters later sophomore Ryan Zahornasky (Shelton, Conn.) rocketed a double into the right-center field gap as Hruniak got on his high horse and scored from first. Zahornasky was not on base for very long as junior third baseman Steven Broy (Gorham, Maine) ripped a triple into left-centerfield before scoring on a base-hit through the left-side by senior Michael Dwyer (Hamden, Conn.) to cut the deficit to 13-3.
Wade settle down on the mound, retiring eight straight Lynx batters, since junior backstop David Hersey's (Wolfeboro, N.H.) single in the top of the fourth inning, before Hersey broke up the string reaching on an error in the sixth.
In the home half of the fifth, first year shortstop C.J. Ingraham (Georgetown, Mass.) opened the inning reaching on a hit by pitch then advanced to third on a double down the right field line off the bat of Hruniak. Moments later senior backstop David Dubay (Farmington, Conn.) drove home Ingraham with the fourth Newbury run with a towering fly-ball to center but Hruniak was thrown out in the process for the second out of the inning. Following a double by Zahornasky, Broy kept the inning going reaching on an error and plating Zahornasky in the process for the third Nighthawk run to trim the Lynx lead to 13-5.
Lesley extended their lead back to 10 runs scoring twice in the top of the seventh. Ryan Genua (Prospect, Conn.) singled home Hersey, who reached on an error, before junior Adam Ciampi (Westford, Mass.) scored the senior with a double for the second Lesley run of the inning.
Newbury was not going to go away that quietly. Dubay led off the bottom of the seventh with a double down the right field line as the Nighthawks batted around and mounted a valiant comeback, scoring four times but it was not enough as the Lynx held on for the 15-9 victory.
Junior right-hander Ryan Sinclair (Portsmouth, R.I.) got the nod in the third and final game of the series for the Nighthawks against first year right-hander Matt O'Donnell (Somerville, Mass.).
After the Nighthawks stranded the bases loaded with one out in the top of the second, the Lynx jumped on the scoreboard in the home half of the frame, scoring twice to take a 2-0 lead. Hersey blasted a triple to deep left-centerfield to plate freshman Mike Slaby (Foxboro, Mass.) to score the game's first run. After Ray Cohen (Coventry, Conn.) was hit by a pitch to reach first base, junior Joe Muratore (Mamaroneck, N.Y.) sent a single through the right side to bring home Hersey and give the Lynx the 2-0 cushion.
Cohen, who was hit twice in the game, has now been pegged a team-high ten times on the year.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Lynx were able to pad the lead for O'Donnell scoring twice more but it was plenty. The Somerville, Mass. native earned his first victory of the season tossing a complete game allowing just one run while striking out two and walking two.
Newbury falls to 10-18 and 5-10 in the conference while Lesley improves to 9-11 and 8-5 in the NECC. The Lynx return to action tomorrow when they return to Campanelli Stadium for a non-conference game with UMass-Boston.