BABSON PARK, Mass. -- Three pitchers combined on a 5-0 shutout, including seven innings from senior starter Stephen Quigley (Halifax, Mass.), to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) baseball team over host Babson College this afternoon in a New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference contest at Govoni Field in Babson Park, Mass. The Lyons win their 10th straight and improve to 23-10 on the season and 12-3 in league play, while the Beavers dip to 23-11 and 12-3. Both teams received at least one vote in the most recent National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association/D3baseball.com Coaches Poll this week.

The game is the first of a three-game set that will conclude with a doubleheader tomorrow in Norton, Mass. 

Quigley improved to 6-2 after allowing just three hits and no walks to go with eight strikeouts for Wheaton. The right-hander retired the first 13 batters he faced to carry a perfect game into the fifth inning with one out. Junior right-handed reliever Max Pierce (Scituate, R.I.) and senior Zach Clesas (Johnston, R.I.) each gave up just one hit in a scoreless frame each to end the game. Sophomore center fielder AJ Guindon (Coventry, R.I.) paced the offense, going 3-5 with a double, two runs scored and a run batted in, while senior right fielder Jake Studley (Barrington, R.I.) was 2-4 with a double, a run scored and an RBI. 

First year left fielder Walter Sadowski (Morristown, N.J.) led Babson at the plate with a 2-4 effort. Senior shortstop Jack Pirkl (Brightwaters, N.Y.) was 1-2 with a double and senior second baseman Thomas Lapham (Charlestown, Mass.) and first year Justin Guest (West Windsor, N.J.) each singled for the home team. Junior right-handed starter Anthony St. John (Hopewell, N.J.) (4-1) gave up five runs on nine hits and a walk to go with two strikeouts over seven innings in the loss. 

The Lyons scored a run in the first for what stood up as the only run they would need. They added a single run in the fourth, two in the seventh and an insurance run in the eighth.

Guindon led off the first with a ground-rule double that hopped over the fence in right center, before Studley traded places with a double down the left field line to give Wheaton a 1-0 edge.  

The Lyons manufactured their run in the fourth to take a 2-0 lead. Studley ripped a leadoff single up the middle to begin the fourth, followed by a walk from senior catcher Zach DeMattio (North Attleboro, Mass.). Studley moved to third on a fly out to center and scored the second run on a safety squeeze bunt off the bat of junior shortstop Brady Cavan (Great Barrington, Mass.).

Wheaton padded its lead with two runs in the seventh. First year left fielder Kevin Matos (Lawrence, Mass.) legged out a triple to right field and scored on a single to right center off the bat of Guindon for a 3-0 lead. Studley was hit by a pitch with two outs to push Guindon to second and DeMattio gave the visitors a 4-0 margin with a single up the middle to score Guindon.

The Lyons took advantage of another leadoff hit and added their fifth run in the eighth. Brady stroked a single to left to start the frame before junior third baseman Nick Croteau (Cumberland, R.I.) put runners on the corners with no outs with a single to right field. Brady scampered home on a sacrifice fly to left off the bat of first year Anthony Teberio (Andover, Mass.) to give Wheaton a 5-0 cushion.

Sadowski recorded the Beavers' first hit of the afternoon with a single through the right side in the bottom of the fifth to break up 13 straight batters set down by Quigley, including five by way of the K. Babson's best chance to score came in the sixth when Pirkl struck a one-out double and moved to third on an error. Quigley was able to get a strikeout and a ground out to end the threat for the Lyons. 

The teams will meet again tomorrow at Sidell Stadium in doubleheader action with a Noon first pitch. Wheaton needs just a split to earn the top seed for the NEWMAC Tournament, while the Beavers need a sweep to make the same claim.