BABSON PARK, Mass. –- Senior right-handed starting pitcher Zach Clesas (Johnston, R.I.) allowed just one run over eight innings to lead the No. 11/14 Wheaton College (Mass.) baseball team over host Babson College this morning in the first game of a New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference doubleheader at Govoni Field in Babson Park, Mass. 

The Lyons, who are ranked 11th in the most recent D3baseball.com national poll and 14th in the Collegiate Baseball/American Baseball Coaches Association survey, have won seven straight, 15 of their last 16 and 25 of their last 27 games and improve to 31-5 overall and 15-1 in league play. Wheaton's record marks its best mark through 36 games in program history. The Beavers dip to 22-15 and 10-6.

The Lyons opened the scoring with a run in the top of the third, before Babson knotted the game at 1-1 with a run in the fourth. Wheaton scored the final and deciding run of the contest in the seventh.

Clesas threw just 89 pitches in a career-high eight innings for the Lyons and allowed six hits and no walks to go with a strikeout to improve to 6-1 on the season. Junior center fielder AJ Guindon (Coventry, R.I.) and senior third baseman Nick Croteau (Cumberland, R.I.) each knocked in a run to account for Wheaton's production, while junior right fielder Tommy Ambrosone (Hopkinton, Mass.) was 3-4 with two runs scored. Senior second baseman Mike Maher (Jefferson, Mass.) also rapped out three hits in five at-bats. Senior southpaw reliever Zach Nichols (Chicopee, Mass.) recorded his second save in as many days to pick up his league-best fifth of the year after tossing a scoreless ninth, including a pair of strikeouts. Lyon pitching was responsible for all three strikeouts in the game.

Senior left fielder Michael Cook (Whitman, Mass.) and junior catcher Ike Kiely (Falmouth, Maine) paced the Beavers with 2-3 efforts, including a double for Cook and a run scored and a stolen base for Kiely. Sophomore Justin Guest (West Windsor, N.J.) drove in the lone run for the home team. Senior right-hander Anthony St. John (Hopewell, N.J.) was the tough-luck losing pitcher for Babson, going the distance and scattering 10 hits, while yielding two runs and issuing a walk.

Wheaton scored the eventual game-winning run in the top of the seventh with the help of a crucial Beaver miscue. Ambrosone laced a two-out single to center field and advanced to third on a failed pick-off attempt. Guindon reached on an infield single to shortstop to score Ambrosone with the go-ahead run to give the Lyons a 2-1 edge.

Wheaton put together three hits to get on the board in the top of the third with the game's first run for a 1-0 margin. Ambrosone opened the frame with a single through the right side before Maher reached on an infield single to push Ambrosone up a base and into scoring position. Croteau delivered with an opposite field RBI single to left field to score the game's first run.

The Beavers used their speed to even the contest with a run in the bottom of the fourth. Kiely dumped a single into center field and stole second base to set up a run-scoring single to center field off the bat of Guest to tie the game at 1-1.

Clesas bared down for the Lyons after the Babson run and retired the next two batters to end the inning to begin a stretch where he closed out his outing by setting down 14 of 15 batters to get Wheaton into the ninth with a one-run edge. 

The Beavers looked to tie the game again in the ninth with Cook and Kiely in the middle of the action once again. Cook led off the inning with a single to left, before Kiley worked a walk to give Babson a pair of baserunners with no outs. Nichols ended the rally for the Lyons by getting a lineout and a pair of strikeouts to finish the home team.

Babson had one other chance to score in the game, but the Lyons' defense came up big to keep the Beavers off the board early in the game. Cook cracked a double to left to open the second inning, before Kiely singled to put runners on the corners with no outs. Guest grounded to third, where Croteau fired to the plate to cut down Cook and keep Babson off the board.