NORTON, Mass. — The first five hitters in the No. 16/18 Wheaton College (Mass.) baseball lineup tallied 15 hits, including four from junior center fielder AJ Guindon (Coventry, R.I.) and three hits and three runs batted in from senior third baseman Nick Croteau (Cumberland, R.I.) to lead the Lyons over visiting Clark University, 10-2, this afternoon in New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference play at Sidell Stadium on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.

Wheaton, which is ranked 16th in the most recent Collegiate Baseball American Baseball Coaches Association national poll and 18th by D3baseball.com, has won seven of its last eight and 17 of its last 19 to improve to 19-4 overall and a perfect 6-0 in league play. The Lyons' 19-4 start is its best since they got out to a 30-4 mark during the 2012 campaign. The Cougars fall to 13-12 and 4-2.

Wheaton pounded out a season-high 17 hits and posted double-digit base knocks for the 16th time this season. Guindon registered his second four-hit outing in three games and his third of the season, which included a double and a triple to go with three runs scored, while Croteau was 3-4 with a pair of doubles, a walk and two runs scored. He drove in multiple runs for the seventh time this season. Sophomore first baseman Anthony Teberio (Andover, Mass.) was 2-5 with three RBI on the heels of his first homer of the season as one of eight extra-base hits in the game for the Lyons. Sophomore left fielder Kevin Matos (Lawrence, Mass.) was 3-5 with a pair of doubles, two runs batted in and a run scored. Sophomore left-handed starter Josh Fischer (Hopkinton, Mass.) earned his first collegiate victory and improves to 1-0 after giving up just one run on four hits and four walks to go with three strikeouts in five and two-thirds innings of work.

Junior right fielder Samuel Farrell (Holliston, Mass.) reached base three times for Clark with a double and a pair of walks in addition to an RBI and a run scored, while third baseman Tyler Jones (West Haven, Conn.) was 1-3 with a walk and a run scored. Starting right-handed pitcher Tommy Flaherty (London, England) was saddled with the loss to fall to 0-2 after allowing six runs on eight hits and three walks in four innings, while fanning a batter. 

Wheaton scored three runs in each of the first two innings to jump out to an early 6-0 lead, before adding two more in the fifth to take an 8-0 advantage. The Cougars scored lone runs in the sixth and seventh frames, before the Lyons did the same in the seventh and eighth innings.

Wheaton loaded the bases in the first with no outs when Guindon raced around the bases on a shot to the left center gap that resulted in his third triple of the year, before senior second baseman Mike Maher (Jefferson, Mass.) and Croteau each worked a base on balls. Senior shortstop Cavan Brady (Sheffield, Mass.) hit his conference-leading sixth sacrifice fly to left field to plate Guindon with the afternoon's first run. Matos followed with an opposite field rocket just inside the third base line for a two-run double to give the home team a 3-0 margin.

The Lyons added three more runs in the second – all with two outs. Guindon and Maher put together back-to-back singles before Croteau cracked a double to left field to plate both runners to make it 5-0. Brady followed with a fly ball that the wind placed just inside the right field line for an RBI double and a six-run cushion.

Senior catcher Robert Wirtanen (Brentwood, N.H.) reached on a fielder's choice for Wheaton in the fifth before Teberio launched a high fly ball that just skimmed over the left field fence for a two-run long ball and an 8-0 lead.

Clark broke into the scoring column in the top of the sixth with the benefit of a Lyon miscue and some free bases. Farrell was hit by a pitch to open the frame, before sophomore center fielder Carter Doran (Natick, Mass.) drew a walk. Graduate student Andrea Casabianca (Yonkers, N.Y.) later reached on an error to bring home Farrell with the first visitor run to make it an 8-1 game.

The Cougars tacked on another run in the seventh when Jones laced a leadoff single down the left field line and Farrell delivered a two-out double to right center to knock Jones in with the second run.

Wheaton took advantage of more extra-base hits to score its ninth run in the bottom of the seventh. Guindon doubled to left center and Croteau matched him with a two-out two-bagger down the left field line to trade places. The Lyons added its final run in the eighth for a 10-2 margin. Matos slugged a leadoff double to center and came around to score on a one-out single up the middle from Teberio.

Wheaton returns to action tomorrow when it hosts Suffolk University at 4:00 p.m. at Sidell Stadium, while Clark hosts Saint Joseph's College (Maine) on April 13 at 4:00 p.m.