CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Three hitters in the No. 16/18 Wheaton College (Mass.) baseball team's lineup collected three or more hits, including junior center fielder AJ Guindon (Coventry, R.I.), who turned in a four-hit, two-RBI effort to fuel a 14-3 victory over host Massachusetts Institute of Technology this afternoon in the first game of a New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference doubleheader at Fran O'Brien Field in Cambridge, Mass. The game was the second of a three-game series with MIT and was halted after eight innings due to the NEWMAC 10-run mercy rule after seven innings.

The Lyons, who are ranked 16th in the most recent Collegiate Baseball American Baseball Coaches Association national poll and 18th by D3baseball.com, have won six straight, 10 of their last 11 and 20 of their last 22 to improve to 22-4 overall and a perfect 8-0 in league play, while the Engineers dip to 9-13 and 4-4.

For the second straight game, Wheaton registered 10 or more runs and 13 or more hits against MIT after a 10-run, 15-hit attack yesterday in Norton.

The Engineers took their first lead of the series with a run in the bottom of the fourth, but the Lyons scored six times in the fifth to take a 6-1 lead. MIT scored a lone run in the bottom of the inning and added another run in the seventh to make it 6-3, before Wheaton scored the final eight runs of the contest, including seven in the eighth to earn the win.

Guindon's four-hit effort was his second of the week and his fourth of the season. He also scored three runs and stole two bases for the Lyons. Senior shortstop Cavan Brady (Sheffield, Mass.) and senior catcher Robert Wirtanen (Brentwood, N.H.) each collected three hits, including a double each and drove in two runs apiece. Among Brady's three knocks was his 100th career hit, which came on an infield single during the team's six-run fifth. He now has 101 hits. Senior third baseman Nick Croteau (Cumberland, R.I.) blasted a three-run home run for his second round-tripper of the week. Senior right-handed starter Zach Clesas (Johnston, R.I.) picked up the win to improve to 4-1 after allowing three runs on eight hits and a walk to go with a strikeout in five innings pitched.

Senior second baseman Kyle Sonandres (Torrance, Calif.) led the Engineers at the plate, going 2-4 with a double and a run scored, while senior Jake Sonandres (Torrance, Calif.) and junior catcher Tyler Godfrey (Rowley, Mass.) each knocked in a run with a single. Junior left fielder Kennan Gumbs (New York, N.Y.) contributed with a 2-3 effort. First year right-handed starting hurler Chase Rubin (Arlington, Va.) suffered the loss after giving up five runs on six hits and two walks in addition to five strikeouts in four innings.

Wheaton wasted no time in erasing a 1-0 deficit with Guindon and senior second baseman Mike Maher (Jefferson, Mass.) opening the top of the fifth with back-to-back singles, before Croteau put his third homer of the season over the right field fence to give the Lyons a 3-1 margin. Brady followed with a single and sophomore left fielder Kevin Matos (Lawrence, Mass.) worked a walk, before both eventually scored on separate wild pitches. Sophomore Tommy Beauregard (Salem, Mass.) later was hit by a pitch and came around to score later in the frame when Guindon laced a single up the middle to give Wheaton a 6-1 lead.

Following two quick outs in the bottom of the inning, MIT junior center fielder Teddy Schoenfeld (Boulder, Colo.) worked a walk and stole second to set up a run-scoring single to right field off the bat of Godfrey. The Engineers added another run in the sixth to make it 6-3. Jake Sonandres and Gumbs began the inning with consecutive singles before first year right fielder Eitan Moore (Jerusalem, Israel) ripped a single to left center to plate Sonandres. 

The Lyons tacked on another run in the seventh with some hustle from Guindon. The junior singled up the middle and stole second before coming around to score when the bid to throw him out at second went into the outfield and the throw from the outfield was also off line to enable Guindon to score the seventh Wheaton run. 

The Lyons effectively put the game out of reach with 12 batters coming to the plate and seven of them scoring to give the visitors a 14-3 lead in the eighth inning. Matos led off the frame with a single and Wirtanen and Beauregard each received free passes to load the bases. Ucci worked an RBI walk and Guindon ripped his fourth single with a shot up the middle to drive in Wirtanen and keep the sacks full. Maher was hit by a pitch to force in another run for a 10-3 margin. Brady came through with a two-run single to center to give him 10 runs batted in over his last four games and Wirtanen followed his lead with a two-run single to right for the 13th and 14th runs of the game for Wheaton.

The Engineers got on the board first with a run in the fourth to take a 1-0 edge. Kyle Sonandres smacked a leadoff double down the left field line, before senior first baseman Graham Cartwright (La Jolla, Calif.) followed with a single to center to put runners on the corners with one out. Sonandres scored on a ground out for the first run of the game.