By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University baseball team opened the New England portion of its schedule with a loss Thursday afternoon.

The Bears, playing their first game after going 5-3 in South Carolina, dropped a 9-5 non-conference decision to Wheaton College at Alumni Park.

The game was switched from Norton, Mass., to BSU because of the field conditions at Wheaton. The Lyons were designated as the home team.

After opening a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, the Bears allowed eight straight runs before getting on the scoreboard again in the seventh inning.

Junior Robbie Lamond (North Kingstown, R.I.) hit a pair of home runs for Wheaton (7-2), which outhit the Bears 11-7.

Wheaton leads the all-time series, which began in 1999, 25-11. The teams met for the first time since 2022.

BSU scored in the first when junior Rylan Secovich (Southwick, Mass.) reached on an infield hit and sophomore Jamie Luna (Warwick, R.I.) doubled to left-center field.

The two runners scored on sacrifice flies to center by seniors Ryan Flaherty (Duxbury, Mass.) and Joshua Selander (Granby, Conn.) for the 2-0 start.

The Lyons tied it in the bottom of the inning on a two-run homer to left by Lamond, his first of the season, after a single by senior Marcus Rodrigues (Lincoln, R.I.).

Wheaton went up, 3-2, in the third on a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded by senior Ray Toth (Granby, Mass.), bringing in sophomore Declan Lush (Seekonk, Mass.), who had singled up the middle.

The Lyons made it 5-2 in the fourth inning, getting a pair of runs on a throwing error.

Wheaton scored three in the fifth for an 8-2 advantage.

With the bases loaded on three walks, senior Collin Reilly (Marshfield, Mass.) had a sacrifice fly to center. Lush then had a two-run single to right-center.

BSU scored three times in the seventh inning.

Luna walked with the bases loaded, scoring sophomore Zackary Casey (Leominster, Mass.), who had reached on an infield hit.

Flaherty then brought home two with a two-out single to right.

Lamond hit his second homer of the day, a solo shot to left, in the seventh inning.

Sophomore Jeyden Espinal (Fall River, Mass.) was the lone BSU player with multiple hits, going 2-for-3, while Flaherty had three RBI.

The Bears were 4-for-22 with runners on base.

Rodrigues was 2-for-2 with three runs scored for Wheaton while Lamond and Lush each had two hits and combined for five RBI.

Senior Trey Yesu (Monson, Mass.) took the loss, allowing three runs and six hits in three innings. Yesu (0-3) was the first of five pitchers for BSU.

Wheaton freshman Cameron Hasenfus (Norfolk, Mass.) won his first career decision. Hasenfus pitched two innings of relief and struck out two.

Sophomore Evan Yakavonis (Whitman, Mass.) pitched the first three innings for the Lyons. Six Wheaton pitchers combined to strike out 10 Bears.

BSU plays at Curry College at 3 p.m. on Monday.

Wheaton has a doubleheader against Nichols College at 11 a.m. Saturday. The games have been moved from Wheaton to Millbury High School.