NORTON, Mass. -- Senior starting pitcher Griffin Young (Dover, N.H.) gave up an unearned run on just four hits and senior right fielder Jake Studley (Barrington, R.I.) was 4-4 as part of a seven=hit day to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) baseball team over visiting Babson College, 3-1, this afternoon in the second game of a New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference doubleheader sweep at Sidell Stadium on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass. The Lyons defeated the Beavers yesterday as part of a three-game series sweep. 

Wheaton won its 12th straight game to boast the sixth-longest current streak in the nation and has won 22 home games in a row for the second-longest string. The 12-game streak is also tied for the fifth-longest in school history, matching a stretch from April 15 to May 1, 2010. The Lyons improve to 25-10 overall and 14-3 in league play to earn their 19th NEWMAC regular season title in 22 seasons that a complete conference slate was played. The Beavers fall to 23-13 and 12-5.

Wheaton earns a first round bye in the NEWMAC Championship Tournament as the top seed and will play the winner of fifth-seeded Massachusetts Institute of Technology and number four seed United States Coast Guard Academy on Friday, May 6 at 3:30 p.m. at Sidell Stadium. Babson enters the tournament as the number three seed and will travel to Springfield, Mass. on May 6 to take on second-seed and East Division Champion Springfield College at 3:30 p.m.

Wheaton starting pitching combined to throw 15 ⅓ innings on the day, while allowing three runs (two earned) on 11 hits and three walks to go with 10 strikeouts in the twinbill. Studley was 7-8 with a run batted in, two stolen bases and a walk in the two games. Young improved to 5-1 for the Lyons and did not issue a walk, while striking out six in eight and a third innings of work. Studley registered four or more hits for the fourth time this season with a 4-4 effort that produced an RBI, while sophomore center fielder AJ Guindon (Coventry, R.I.) and junior second baseman Mike Maher (Jefferson, Mass.) both collected two hits apiece for the second straight game. Maher also scored a pair of runs and drove in a run and Guindon scored a run.

Junior Jackson Kelly (Wenoah, N.J.) was 1-3 with a run batted in for the Beavers and senior Jack Pirkl (Bridgewaters, N.Y.) was 1-3 with a run scored. Sophomore starting pitcher Tristen Spalter (Segeantsville, N.J.) (5-3) suffered the loss after giving up two runs on eight hits to go with three strikeouts.

The Lyons scored all the runs they would need in game two with a pair of runs in the first inning. Babson cut the deficit by a run in the sixth, before Wheaton restored the two-run margin with a run in the eighth.

Wheaton began the bottom of the first with back-to-back triples from Guindon and Maher. Maher's three-bagger knocked in Guindon with the game's first run. Studley reached on an infield single to plate Guindon to give the Lyons two runs in three plate appearances to start the game. 

The Beavers scored their only run of the game in the sixth with the benefit of an error. Pirkl singled through the right side and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Senior second baseman Thomas Lapham (Charlestown, Mass.) reached on an infield error to put runners on the corners for Babson. Kelly brought home the Beavers' run with a sacrifice fly to right field. Senior first baseman Josh Yellen (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) reached on an error to push Lapham to third, but Young was able to get the next hitter to fly out and limit any further damage for the home team. 

Wheaton also took advantage of an errant throw in the bottom of the eighth to score an insurance run. Maher reached on the error and advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch. Studley singled through the left side to give the home team a first and third situation. Senior first baseman Drew Spirito (Cranston, R.I.) knocked in his second run in as many games with a productive out, grounding out to shortstop to bring home Maher with the Lyons' third run.

Babson looked to rally in the ninth when sophomore Jack Julian (Manchester, Mass.) led off with a single through the right side and first year left fielder Walter Sadowsky (Morristown, N.J.) reached on an error to put both runners in scoring position with one out. Senior right-handed reliever Dom Cunha (Lincoln, R.I.) came in for Wheaton and set down the next two batters with a strikeout and an infield popup to nail down the win with his league-leading eighth save of the season.