Worcester, Mass. – Visiting Wheaton College jumped out to early leads in each end of their twinbill with host Clark University and the hard-hitting Lyons swept the New England Women's And Men's Athletic Conference doubleheader by scores of 7-6 and 9-1 on Saturday afternoon at O'Brien Field.

Wheaton, who entered the afternoon ranked No. 21 in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll, improves to 25-3 overall and an impressive 9-1 in league contests. The Cougars, meanwhile, slip to 6-12 and 2-6 in conference action.

Game 1: Wheaton 7, Clark 6

The Lyons opened up the afternoon with four straight singles off of Clark starter Hayley Buckheit (Camden Hills, Maine) as both Jenna Rocha (Rehoboth, Mass.) and Caroline Fairbanks (Milford, Mass.) each collected an RBI.

Clark chopped the lead in half in the bottom of the first when Maya Allen (Concord, Mass.) reached on error and then came around to score on an Alyssa Wright (Manchester, N.H.) double.

Wheaton extended its lead with two outs in the third. After Fairbanks walked a long double to left center by Marissa Timoteo (Jupiter, Fla.) scored Fairbanks and that was followed by a Kelly Welch (Wood Dale, Ill.) double that plated Timoteo, making the score 4-1.

The Cougars answered back in the third with a three spot that knotted the game at 4-4. Allen drew a walk and eventually made it to third base before scoring on a Wright infield single. Lauren Mackey (Dublin, N.H.) singled the center and then Rachel Kraytenberg (Londonderry, N.H.) walked to load the bases. Tatiana Chunis (Sutton, Mass.) smacked a single to center that scored both Wright and Mackey and evened the score.

Clark then went ahead in the fourth on three straight singles by Melanie Dusseault (Auburn, N.H.), Allen and the one that pushed the go-ahead run across off of the bat of Corrie Derosier (Shrewsbury, Mass.). That string of hits chased Wheaton starter Allison Baker (Orange, Conn.) in favor of Galen Kerr (Concord, Mass.), who after yielding the hit to Derosier, retired Mackey and Kraytenberg to escape the inning without any more damage.

Wheaton wasted little time retaking the lead as Welch struck for an RBI double, Maddie Hatch (Acton, Mass.) provided a run with a sacrifice fly and Ashley Brillion (Attleboro, Mass.) brought in another run with a single through the left side.

The Cougars came a little closer in the sixth when Derosier reached on an infield hit and then came around to score on another run scoring hit by Wright.

Clark actually put the tying run on base in the bottom of the seventh when Chunis worked a walk, but reliever Dani Cimino (Cumberland, Maine) shut the door by striking out Shawna Amatucci (Shrewsbury, Mass.) and Buckheit to end the game.

Kerr picked up the win in relief, tossing 2.2 innings, allowing just five hits and one unearned run.

The top of the Wheaton lineup was extremely effective, as Brillion, Emma Hart (Lincoln, R.I.) and Rocha went a combined 7-for-12 with two runs scored and a pair of RBI.

Wright went 4-for-4 with three RBI for the Cougars, who also got two hits each from Chunis and Derosier.

Game 2: Wheaton 9, Clark 1

Rocha blasted a pair of monster homeruns – including a first-inning three-run shot – as the Lyons rolled in the nightcap, banging out 16 hits.

As was the case in the opener, consecutive hits started the game but this time, the third batter – in this case Rocha – crushed a Dusseault offering high and far over the centerfield fence for an early 3-0 Wheaton advantage.

Things stayed that way until the fourth when Ashley Vertente (Fairhaven, Mass.) cracked an RBI double to right center that scored Walsh, who led off the inning with a single.

Clark got its only run of the game in the bottom of the frame courtesy of a Kraytenberg RBI groundout that scored Derosier.

Rocha was at it again in the fifth, leading off the inning with a towering blast to left for her second of the game and fourth of the season.

Meanwhile, Lyon hurler Emily Berardi (Boston, Mass.) was in complete control, scattering just five hits and allowing just one unearned.

Clark will return to the diamond on Tuesday with a non-conference twinbill against Bridgewater State, while the Lyons will put their five game winning streak on the line against Roger Williams on Tuesday as well.