WORCESTER, Mass. -- Senior starting pitcher Emma Candelaria (Hampton Bays, N.Y.) hurled a two-hit shutout and first year right fielder Emme Conley (Riverside, R.I.) drove in a pair of runs to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) softball team to a 9-0 win to complete a sweep of host Clark University this afternoon in New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference action at O'Brien Softball Field in Worcester, Mass. The Lyons win their sixth straight game to improve to 10-6 overall and 2-0 in NEWMAC play, while the Cougars fall to 3-3 and 0-2.

Candelaria (5-2) allowed a single to lead off Clark's half of the first inning and then set down the next 13 batters in order, en-route to her second shutout victory of the season for Wheaton. She did not allow a walk and struck out five. She faced just two batters over the minimum in the six-inning complete game that was halted after the sixth due to the eight-run mercy rule. Conley was 2-3 with a run scored and a walk, while senior first base Tristan Keller (Plymouth, N.H.) was 2-3 with a run batted in and a run scored. First year left fielder Juliette Zito (Woodbridge, Conn.) scored three runs.

Junior Eliza Lindberg (East Chatham, N.Y.) was 1-3 for Clark and senior Kaylee Gibson (Northfield, Mass.) was 1-2. Gibson (2-1) suffered the loss after giving up five unearned runs on three hits and two walks to go with a pair of strikeouts.

The Lyons scored all the runs they would need, crossing the plate five times in the top of the second. Wheaton scored its first two runs with the benefit of an error before Conley laced a two-run single to center to give the Lyons a 4-0 lead. Keller followed with an RBI single to right to bring home Conley with the fifth run.

Wheaton added single runs in the fourth and fifth to take a 7-0 advantage. Zito reached on an infield single, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on a Conley single combined with an error on the play in the fourth. First year second base Erica Piercey (North Branford, Conn.) opened the fifth with a double to left center and later scampered home ahead of a sacrifice fly off the bat of first year center fielder Grace DiBacco (Selkirk, N.Y.) for a seven-run lead.

The Lyons added two more runs in the sixth to give them all the runs they would need. Sophomore Katie Peirce (Acushnet, Mass.) smacked a double to lead off the inning, before being lifted for Zito on the base paths. Keller followed with a single and senior shortstop Katelyn Barton (Andover, N.H.) stroked a double to left to plate Zito. Wheaton's final run came on an error.

The Lyons return to the diamond on Friday, April 8 when they host NEWMAC foe Babson College at the Clark Softball Field for a 3:00 p.m twinbill, while the Cougars travel to Fitchburg, Mass. to take on Fitchburg State University at 3:00 p.m.