New London — Like his fellow New England college baseball coaches, C.C. Grant has had to master the art of juggling this spring.

The lingering impact from a harsh winter wreaked havoc on the schedule, forcing postponements and cancellations.

"It's been one of those years," said Grant, who's in the ninth season at Coast Guard Academy.

Coast Guard is in contention for a spot in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference tournament. But the Bears will need to play better than they did in Tuesday's 10-4 loss to Wheaton College to qualify for the postseason. Four errors contributed to their demise.

The loss means the Bears (12-9, 5-7) will likely need to take at least two out of three in a three-game series with Clark University (8-11, 5-4) to extend their season.

"We'll see what happens," Grant said. "I like this group. The one thing that I never complain about with these guys is their effort. Even (today) when they were tired, I've got no problem with their effort and the way they played.

"Execution is another story. Wheaton is the most complete team we've played up to this point. If we field the ball, it's probably a different ball game."

Wheaton (18-7, 12-2), the conference leader, banged out 12 hits and seized the lead for good with a seven-run fifth inning.

While an improved offensive team from last season, the Bears managed just five hits against four different pitchers, including starter and winner Michael Bruemmel (3-1) who allowed two runs and three hits in five innings.

Senior Matt Hanks led the Bears with two hits while freshman Zach Serna and sophomore Brendan McNeil of Pawcatuck each belted solo home runs.

McNeil's home run — his first this season — came with two outs in fourth inning and handed Coast Guard a brief 2-1.

"I had two strikes on me and I shortened up and put the bat on the ball," McNeil said. "Somehow it carried over the fence. I had a lot all year go to the fence or warning track. It felt good to hit the first one."

McNeil, a New London High School graduate, is enjoying a strong season, ranking second on the team in batting average (.328) and RBI (14). 

An inconsistent streak has hurt the Bears this season. After a successful Florida trip during which they went 6-2, they've endured some speed bumps up north. Tuesday's defeat was their seventh in the last nine games.

The pitching staff has struggled, giving up at least seven runs in each of their last seven losses.

"We're just short-staffed," Grant said. "We don't have enough arms, especially considering the way the schedule is made up these days because of all the missed days and rainouts."

With an important weekend series ahead, Grant juggled his pitching staff on Tuesday, keeping them on a pitch count. Senior Andrew Lucak (0-2) took the loss, allowing three runs and four hits in two innings.

The Bears had little luck retiring senior Tyler Contillo, a former Montville standout, with runners on base. Contillo had a two-out RBI single in the first and another run-scoring single during a seven-run fifth.

Contillo has helped the Lyons win six straight games.

"We're getting on a roll right now," Contillo said. "If we want to accomplish what we need to accomplish, then we need to keep it up for the remainder of the season."

The Bears need to get on a roll, too. It seems like their chances to qualify for the conference postseason always comes down to the final weekend.

"We've made strides...," Grant said. "We just keep talking about trying to get better. At the same time, we play so many games in so little time. Guys are a little tired. Today was a prime example."

" ... I'm not making any excuses. We've just got to play better."

g.keefe@theday.com

Twitter: @GavinKeefe