Box Score NORTON, Mass.--Three Western New England student-athletes collected two hits but it wasn't enough as host Wheaton defeated the Golden Bears, 7-2, in a non-conference baseball game at Sidell Stadium on Thursday. The nationally No. 12-ranked Lyons improve to 19-6 on the season while WNE falls to 15-7.

Senior co-captain Matt Anthonis, senior Taylor Perun and junior Jeff Schult combined for six of the Golden Bears' 10 hits as a team. Schult added a run batted in and stolen base.

Apolinar De la Cruz led Wheaton offensively by going 2-for-4 at the plate, with three RBI. Starting pitcher Alec Palioca (6-1) scattered eight hits and gave up two runs and no walks with five strikeouts in 6-2/3 innings of work to earn the win.

The Lyons got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the very first inning when De la Cruz had a sacrifice fly to center and Eric Jensen hit a RBI-single up the middle.

"We got beat by just a better team today. Palioca is one of the best (pitchers) in the region and they really executed offensively," said Western New England coach Matt LaBranche. "We have them again next week, so hopefully we are playing better by then."

Trailing 4-0 in the seventh, Western New England cut the deficit in half. With one out, Kyle McKelvey had a run-scoring double to center field. Another out and two batters later, Schult connected for a single up the middle that brought McKelvey home.

But the Lyons sealed the win by responding with two runs in its half-inning for a 6-2 cushion, and added another tally in the next frame.