Box Score

AUBURNDALE, FL – The Rowan University baseball team defeated #17 Wheaton College (MA) by a score of 4-2 Wednesday afternoon in the Russ Matt Tournament. The game was played at Lake Myrtle Park.

Rowan improves to 7-4 on the year while the Lyons stand at 2-2. Left hander Kyle Brown (fr. Southampton, NJ/Seneca) had a solid college debut tossing 5.2 innings for the win. He gave up one earned run on three hits and one walk, while striking out six. Right hander John O’Hara (jr. Clayton, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) pitched a scoreless ninth frame to pick up his second save of the season. Righty Frank Holbrook also made his first collegiate appearance giving up four runs (three earned) in 5.2 innings of work in suffering the loss.

The Profs were led offensively by a quartet of players who picked up two hits. Second baseman Dave Lenig (sr. Pennsville, NJ/Pennsville Mem.), left fielder Scott Weaver (jr. Ledgewood, NJ/Roxbury) and catcher Sean Bowen (so. South Harrison, NJ/Kingsway Reg.) all went two for four, while shortstop Marc Magliaro (so. Monroe Twp., NJ/Monroe Twp.) was two for three at the plate. Designated hitter Kevin O’Brien (jr. Pennsville, NJ/Pennsville Mem.), Lenig, Weaver and Magliaro each drove in a run while first baseman Matt Johanson (sr. Sewell, NJ/Washington Twp.), Lenig, Bowen and Magliaro each scored a run.

Shortstop Eric Laliberte was the only player for Wheaton with a multi-hit game going two for three. Designated hitter Sean Munley picked up both RBIs, including a solo homerun. Left fielder Paul Malaguti scored the other run for the Lyons.

Rowan would score the game’s first three runs, two in the third and one in the fourth inning. Magliaro singled to lead off the third inning and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by center fielder Matt Citro (jr. Bloomsbury, NJ/Phillipsburg). Lenig would bring him in on a single up the middle. A double to left-centerfield by Weaver scored Lenig. Bowen started a two-out rally in the fourth inning by singling up the middle. He advanced to second on a balk before crossing home on a Magliaro single.

Wheaton finally got on the board in the sixth inning when Malaguti had a one-out single to center field. A balk and a wild pitch advanced him to third base allowing him to score on a Munley groundout.

The Profs answered right back in the bottom half of the inning that started off with a Johanson single to left field. A fielding error by the left fielder allowed Johanson to move up to second and a sacrifice bunt put him on third base. O’Brien followed suit with a single to left field, driving in Rowan’s final run and making it a 4-1 contest after six innings. Munley hit a solo home run for the Lyons in the top of the eighth inning to close out the scoring.

Rowan is back in action tomorrow afternoon when it takes on 20th ranked SUNY Cortland at 3:30 p.m. in Auburndale, Florida.