Wanger Records Two Hits

West Haven - Freshman Simon Whiteman hasn't wasted any time becoming a major contributor to the Yale lineup.

Whiteman went 2-for-4 with a stolen base in the Bulldogs 9-0 loss to Sacred Heart on Tuesday at Yale Field.

"He's becoming the player we all thought he was going to be," Yale head coach John Stuper said. "He's hitting to all parts of the field. He's a worker. He listens. He's very coachable. Even though he's a freshman, guys follow him because he works so hard."

Whiteman extended to hitting streak to seven games. He's batting .464 during that stretch. Whiteman has also been a terror on the base paths. He now has an Ivy League-high 11 stolen bases this season.

Tuesday's game was originally scheduled to be played at Harbor Yard, but was moved to Yale field because of poor field conditions.

Fellow freshman Benny Wanger also added two hits, and Derek Brown and Brent Lawson each chipped in with a double for the Bulldogs (4-14-1).

The Pioneers jumped out to a 4-0 advantage after two and put up four runs in the seventh.

After a slow start, starting pitcher Kumar Nambiar bounced back and gave up just a hit over a three-inning span. Sam Boies and Chris Moates each pitched a scoreless inning for Yale.

"I knew that we would suffer some lumps early playing all these young guys," Stuper said. "We need to start learning from our mistakes. We want to be a contender in the league."   

The Bulldogs will face another in-state rival on Wednesday at Fiondella Field. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.  Yale will open up Ivy League play with a doubleheader on Saturday at Columbia.

Filed by Chris Hunn, Yale Sports Publicity.