BABSON PARK, Mass. –- The No. 11/14 Wheaton College (Mass.) baseball team hit three home runs, including a grand slam from sophomore first baseman Timmy Wagner (Hingham, Mass.) en-route to an 11-1 victory over host Babson College in the second game of a New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference twinbill today at Govoni Field in Babson Park, Mass. The game was halted after seven innings of play, due to the NEWMAC's 10-run mercy rule after seven innings of play. 

The Lyons, who are ranked 11th in the most recent D3baseball.com national poll and 14th in the Collegiate Baseball/American Baseball Coaches Association survey, have won eight straight, 16 of their last 17 and 26 of their last 28 games and improve to 32-5 overall and conclude the conference slate with a 16-1 mark. Wheaton ties its school record for conference wins, having previously posted a 16-2 record following the 2012 league campaign. The Lyons' .941 NEWMAC winning percentage is the highest in program history.

The Beavers fall to 22-16 and 10-7.

The teams matched each other with a run apiece in the second, before Wheaton erupted for six runs in the third to break the game open and take a 7-1 advantage. Babson was held scoreless for the final five innings, while the Lyons added a run in the fifth and three more in the seventh to trigger the mercy rule.

In addition to Wheaton's display of power, junior right-handed starting pitcher Liam Goldthwaite (Braintree, Mass.) turned in a stellar performance on the mound, yielding just one unearned run on two hits and one base on balls to go with a career-high seven strikeouts. Four different players knocked in multiple runs for the Lyons, including Wagner, who was 2-4 on the day with four runs batted in and a run scored. Senior shortstop Cavan Brady (Sheffield, Mass.) was 2-4 with a home run, two RBI and a pair of runs scored, while sophomore left fielder Kevin Matos (Lawrence, Mass.) also drove in two runs behind a 2-3 outing to go with a walk and three runs scored. First year Nick Giangregorio (Belmont, Mass.) smacked a pair of doubles and drew a walk, while driving in two runs and scoring twice.

Senior center fielder Patrick Manning (Weymouth, Mass.) led the Beavers at the plate, going 1-2 with a double and a run batted in, while first year first baseman Chris Basile (Miami Beach, Fla.) was 1-2. Sophomore relief pitcher Luke McClintock (South Hamilton, Mass.) was charged with the loss to drop his record to 0-1 after allowing six runs on three hits and three walks. 

Wheaton scored six times in the third to separate itself from its host and take a 7-1 lead. Senior second baseman Mike Maher (Jefferson, Mass.) drew a walk and senior third baseman Nick Croteau (Cumberland, R.I.) singled before both runners moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. Brady delivered a single to left to bring home Maher, and Matos hit a sacrifice fly to left field to plate Croteau and give the Lyons a 3-1 margin. Senior catcher Robert Wirtanen (Brentwood, N.H.) and Giangregorio worked back-to-back walks to load the bases with two outs before Wagner blasted his second home run in three days and his first career grand slam over the left field fence to increase the visitors' cushion to 7-1. 

Wheaton tacked on another run in the fifth, courtesy of Matos' league-leading 11th home run of the year for an 8-1 advantage. Brady matched Matos to open the seventh, cranking his fifth long ball of the season. Matos drew a walk and later scored on a Giangregorio double down the left field line to give the Lyons their 10th run of the game. Junior right fielder Tommy Ambrosone (Hopkinton, Mass.) capped the scoring for Wheaton with a single to right to drive in Giangregorio and give the Lyons a 10-run lead at 11-1. 

The 11 runs gives Wheaton a double-digit run total for the 17th time this season for the most since the team scored 10 or more runs on 18 occasions during the 2010 campaign.

The Lyons scored the first run of the game when Matos smacked a leadoff double to left field and Giangregorio traded places with him after belting a double of his own to center field to bring home Matos and make it a 1-0 game.

Babson returned the favor in the bottom of the frame to tie the game at 1-1. Graduate student Ryan Noone (Belmont, Mass.) reached on an outfield error that would have ended the inning and Manning made Wheaton pay with an RBI double to left to bring home Noone.

The Lyons return to play tomorrow when they travel to Bristol, R.I. to play Roger Williams University for a 1:00 p.m. first pitch that is subject to change as dictated by the weather, while the Beavers await their seeding in the upcoming NEWMAC Tournament and will be in action on May 5.