SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Senior first baseman Drew Spirito (Cranston, R.I.) homered and drove in three runs to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) baseball team over host Springfield College in game two to gain a split of a New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference doubleheader this afternoon at Archie Allen Field in Springfield, Mass. The Lyons improve to 12-8 overall and 4-1 in league play, while the Pride dip to 9-14 and 2-3. 

Wheaton saw eight batters collect at least one hit in a 12-hit attack. The Lyons came back from a 4-0 deficit to score seven unanswered runs, en-route to the victory.

Sprito finished 1-3 with his second home run of the season for Wheaton, while senior right fielder Jake Studley (Barrington, R.I.) reached base five times going 2-2 with a double, three walks and two runs batted in to go with a run scored. Junior second baseman Mike Maher (Jefferson, Mass.) was 2-4 with a double and an RBI and junior Cavan Brady (Great Barrington, Mass.) was 2-5 with a triple, a double and a run scored. Senior right-handed starter Gavin Reily (Bridgewater, Mass.) allowed four runs (one earned) on eight hits, while fanning five batters in seven innings to earn the win and improve to 4-1. Senior righty Dom Cunha (Lincoln, R.I.) earned his third save after giving up a run on one hit to go with a strikeout in one inning of work.

Junior Cadin Maynard (Waterford, Conn.) was 2-5 with a home run, a run batted in and two runs scored for Springfield, while sophomore catcher Ryan Sorgi (Braintree, Mass.) and junior left fielder Noah Diamond (Glastonbury, Conn.) each went 2-4 with a double and a run batted in. Graduate student first baseman Noah Bleakley (Granby, Mass.) was 2-5. Junior righty Joe Hutchinson (Waltham, Mass.) (0-1) took the loss in relief, giving up a run on three hits, while striking out one in one and two-thirds innings. Sophomore starting pitcher Colby Welch (Brandon, Fla.) gave up a run on two hits and four walks to go with a strikeout in two and a third innings of work.

Sprito crushed a pitch down the left field line to lead off the fifth and give the Lyons their first lead of the game at 5-4. Wheaton tacked on two much-needed insurance runs in the eighth to take a 7-4 margin. Junior third baseman Nick Croteau (Cumberland, R.I.) cracked a one-out double down the right field line and scored when Studley repeated the feat with a double down the left field line. Senior catcher Zach DeMattio (North Attleboro, Mass.) put runners on the corners with one out, before Spirito brought home Studley with a sacrifice fly to left field for the Lyons' seventh run.

The Pride didn't go down without a fight, scoring single runs in the eighth and ninth, but came up a run short. Sorgi and graduate student center fielder Jack Cooney (Pittsfield, Mass.) hit back-to-back one-out singles in the eighth to set up a run-scoring double off the bat of Diamond with two outs to cut the deficit to 7-5. Wheaton looked to get through the ninth unscathed, but Maynard blasted his first collegiate home run to left field with two outs to pull the home team to within a run, but it was as close as Springfield would get.

The Pride broke into the scoring column first, stringing together three two-out hits to take a 1-0 lead. Maynard singled to left and Bleakley followed with a single of his own, before Sorgi doubled home Maynard with the first run.

Springfield took advantage of two errors in the second to score three times and take a 4-0 lead after two innings of play. Senior second baseman Joe Penkala (Warren, R.I.) ripped a two-out single to right and moved to second on an error. Junior shortstop Joe Traversa (Pittsfield, Mass.) followed with an RBI single to right, before Simonetty also singled to put runners on the corners with two outs. Maynard reached on an error and both runs scored for the Pride.

Sprito began the Wheaton comeback with a sacrifice fly to put the visitors on the board in the top half of the third inning. Sophomore center fielder AJ Guindon (Coventry, R.I.) reached on a leadoff infield single and Studley and DeMattio each worked walks to load the bases with one out for Spirito.

The Lyons added three more runs in the fourth to knot the game at 4-4. Brady tripled to open the frame, followed by a Will Haskell (Natick, Mass.) base on balls. Maher doubled down the right field line to score Brady and put both runners in scoring position. Guindon reached on a fielder's choice to score Haskell and Wheaton was within a run. Studley brought the Lyons all the way back with an RBI single to left field to make it 4-4.

Wheaton returns to action on Tuesday, April 12 when it travels to Worcester, Mass. to take on NEWMAC rival Clark University at 3:00 p.m., while Springfield heads to Cambridge, Mass. to play Massachusetts Institute of Technology in a conference tilt at 3:30 p.m.