NORTON, Mass. — Junior catcher Ty Bellan (Franklin, Mass.) was 3-4 with a career-high four runs batted in to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) baseball team to a 7-5 victory this afternoon over visiting Springfield College in the first game of a New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference doubleheader at Sidell Stadium on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.

The Lyons, who received votes in the most recent American Baseball Coaches Association national poll, improve to 13-5 overall and 3-2 in league play, while the Pride dip to 13-7 and 2-1.

Wheaton scored three times in the bottom of the sixth to take a 5-2 lead, before Springfield responded in kind with three runs of its own in the next half inning to tie the score at 5-5. The Lyons tacked on single runs in the seventh and eighth innings to provide the difference. The Pride rapped out 13 hits in the game, but committed five errors in the field.

Bellan added a double to his day for Wheaton, while first year left fielder Brayden Lewis (Hopedale, Mass.) was 2-4 with a home run, two RBI and a run scored. First year shortstop Evan Jones (West Haven, Conn.) was 1-2 with a run batted in and a run scored. Junior righty reliever Braden Young (Foxborough, Mass.) was credited with the win after retiring a batter and giving up a walk in the top of the seventh to improve to 2-1 on the year. Senior southpaw Josh Fischer (Plymouth, Mass.) earned his first save of the season with a scoreless ninth after allowing just one hit.

Senior shortstop Jack Dunaisky (Longmeadow, Mass.) paced Springfield at the plate with three hits in four at-bats and drew a walk and knocked in a pair of runs. Junior center fielder Chris Balchius (Norwalk, Conn.) was 3-5 with an RBI and a run scored and junior designated hitter Adam Crocker (Windsor, N.S.) contributed with a 1-2 effort that produced a run batted in and a run scored. First year right-handed reliever Jake Gombotz (South Windsor, Conn.) was saddled with the loss after giving up two runs (one earned) on three hits to go with a pair of strikeouts in two and a third innings of work.

The Lyons took advantage of an error in the seventh to take a 6-5 edge. Senior third baseman Ray Toth (Granby, Mass.) reached on an error and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, before Bellan came through with a run-scoring single up the middle to reclaim the lead for Wheaton for good. 

Lewis added an insurance run in the eighth for the Lyons when he blasted his fourth homer of the season over the left field fence for a 7-5 advantage.

The Pride threatened to make a statement early with Dunaisky reaching on an infield single to shortstop, before Crocker smacked a double to left. Dunaisky circled the bases on the play and rounded third, but the relay from left field arrived at the plate before he did to keep it a scoreless game. Graduate student Luke Barone (Monroe, N.Y.) saved face for Springfield with a single up the middle to plate Crocker with the game's first run.

Wheaton answered right away with two runs in the bottom of the frame to take a 2-1 lead. Sophomore right fielder Declan Lush (Seekonk, Mass.) led off the frame with a single to center field, before sophomore designated hitter Logan Downey (Warwick, R.I.) reached on an error. Both runners moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt and repeated the exercise with Jones putting down another sacrifice bunt to bring home Lush with the tying run. Bellan delivered a two-out double to left to plate Downey to give the Lyons a 2-1 edge.

The Pride pounded out four hits in the sixth, but managed just one run in the inning to knot the contest at 2-2. Graduate student Michael Lepere (Beacon, N.Y.) served a lead-off single to left center, before Balchius and Dunaisky continued the station-to-station baseball with singles to load the bases with one out. Crocker singled through the left side to bring Lepere around to score, but Wheaton starting lefty pitcher Aiden Cardoza (Dartmouth, Mass.) fanned the next two hitters to limit the damage to just one.

Wheaton looked to break the game open in the sixth with three runs to take a 5-2 margin. The first three batters of the inning all reached to load the bases with no outs. Downey punched a single to right center, before Toth followed with a knock through the left side. Jones reached on a bunt single to the pitcher to set up Bellan. The catcher delivered again with a two-run single to center field to knock in Downey and Toth to give the Lyons a 4-2 margin. Wheaton added another run when Lewis was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force in the fifth run.

Springfield responded again with three runs to pull even at five-all in the top of the seventh. Junior Dan Surette (Braintree, Mass.) and junior Tyler Casey (Wallingford, Conn.) ripped back-to-back singles to open the inning, before Cardoza retired the next two batters on fly outs. It looked like the Wheaton lefty would escape the frame, but Balchius belted an 0-1 pitch down the left field line for a double to bring home Surette, before Dunaisky followed with a two-run single to level the score at 5-5.