NORTHBOROUGH, Mass. -- Seven of nine batters in the starting nine collected at least one hit, including five hitters with multiple hits and senior Stephen Quigley (Halifax, Mass.) struck out a career-high 13 batters to help the No. 12 Wheaton College (Mass.) baseball team to a 16-3 victory over host Nichols College this afternoon at the New England Baseball Complex in Northborough, Mass.
The Lyons, who are ranked nationally in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association/D3baseball.com Coaches Poll, improve to 2-0 on the season, while the Bison fall to 1-4.
Wheaton pounded out 14 hits and scored three or more runs in three different innings and has now scored 30 runs on 33 hits in its first two games of the season. The Lyons also took advantage of five Nichols errors.
Wheaton junior infielder Mike Maher (Jefferson, Mass.) drove in three runs for the second straight game on a 2-4 effort at the plate to go with a pair of walks and a pair of runs scored. First year left fielder Kevin Matos (Lawrence, Mass.) was one of four Lyons to knock in more than one run with two RBI after going 2-4 with a double and a run scored. Senior first baseman Drew Spirito (Cranston, R.I.) plated two runs with a pair of hits and scored two runs, while senior right fielder Jake Studley (Barrington, R.I.) collected two more extra base hits with a double and a triple to give him three doubles, a triple and a home run on the season. He scored a game-high three times. The right-handed Quigley won his first start of the season, giving up just one run on two hits and a walk, while dominating the Bison lineup with a career-high 13 strikeouts in six innings or work. First year reliever Tim Wagner (Hingham, Mass.) needed just six pitches and allowed one hit for a scoreless eighth, before giving the ball to senior right-hander Zach Clesas (Johnston, R.I.) for a scoreless one-hit ninth to close the door for Wheaton.
Sophomore second baseman Andrew Croteau (Reading, Mass.) paced the Nichols offense, going 2-4 with a homer, a double and two runs batted in to go with a run scored. Graduate student catcher Nathaniel Cormier (Sandisfield, Mass.) cracked a double as part of a 2-4 day with a run scored. Senior right-handed starter Brendan Duffy (Stratford, Conn.) was saddled with the loss after allowing five unearned runs on two hits and three bases on balls to go with seven strikeouts for the home team.
Wheaton scored four times in the top of the first and tacked on a run in the second to take a 5-0 lead before the Bison could get on the board.
The Lyons took advantage of a pair of errors, a wild pitch and an RBI single off the bat of Sprito in the top of the first. They added another run in the second when Matos rapped a lead-off double down the left field line and later scored on an error.
Croteau put Nichols on the board with a one-out homer over the left-center field fence to cut the deficit to 5-1.
Wheaton effectively put the game away with single runs in the fifth and seventh innings, sandwiched around a six-run sixth to give the Lyons a 13-1 advantage.
Studley cranked a double to left-center to lead off the fifth and later scored on a Maher single through the left side of the infield. Wheaton sent 10 batters to the plate in the sixth with six of them scoring. Sprito drove in his second run of the game with a bases-loaded single, before Maher brought home two more runs with a two-run single through the left side to give the Lyons a 9-1 cushion. Junior Cavan Brady (Great Barrington, Mass.) re-loaded the bases with a single to right, before Spirito scored on a Robert Wirtanen (Brentwood, N.H.) ground out. Matos capped the inning's scoring with a two-run single through the right side. Wheaton increased its lead to 13-1 with a long ball from it's own Croteau with junior Nick Croteau (Cumberland, R.I.) pulling a lead-off home run over the right field fence. The Lyons loaded the bases with one out, including a triple from Studley, but were unable to add to their lead.
The Bison took advantage of a pair of Wheaton errors in the bottom of the seventh to pull to within 13-3. Nichols saw the first three hitters of the inning reach base, including Cormier, who roped a double down the left field line to open the frame. First year third baseman Ryan Porth (East Longmeadow, Mass.) reached on an error and classmate Karl Miller (Newtown, Conn.) reached on a fielder's choice with an error on the play to bring home Cormier. Andrew Croteau later plated the other run with a double down the line. Nichols threatened for more with runners on second and third with two outs, but sophomore reliever Liam Goldthwaite (Braintree, Mass.) induced a pop up to second base to end the inning.
The Lyons crossed the plate three more times in the eighth to take a 16-3 lead. Sophomore Tommy Ambrosone (Hopkinton, Mass.) came up with runners on first and second and two outs and delivered a pinch-hit double down the right field line for his first collegiate hit and senior catcher Zach DeMattio (North Attleboro, Mass.) followed with a two-run double to cap the scoring.
Wheaton returns to action on Friday, March 11 when it takes on No. 9 University of Texas-Dallas at 5:30 p.m. at Lake Myrtle Sports Park in Auburndale, Fla., while the Bison head to Springfield, Mass. to play Springfield College on March 9 at 3:30 p.m.