CAMBRIDGE, Mass. –-  The sixth-seeded Wheaton College (Mass.) softball team's season came to an end with an 8-0 loss to number five seed Babson College this morning in the New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference Tournament at host top-seeded Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Briggs Field in Cambridge, Mass.

The Lyons close their season with an 22-18 record, while the Beavers improve to 23-20 and advance to meet the winner of third-seeded United States Coast Guard Academy and number four seed Worcester Polytechnic Institute for a 2:00 p.m. first pitch in Cambridge.

Babson scored three runs in the bottom of the first, before increasing its lead to 5-0 after a two-run third. The Beavers tacked on a run in the fourth and decided the game with two runs in the sixth to enact the eight-run mercy rule.

Junior shortstop Lindsey Oliveira (Westport, Mass.) led Wheaton at the plate with its only two hits of the game in three-at bats. Junior starting pitcher Sofia Knopf (Norton, Mass.) was saddled with the loss to finish the season at 10-9 after allowing five runs on three hits and three walks to go with three strikeouts in two and two-thirds innings of work. 

Junior Molly Hennessy (Tallahassee, Fla.) paced Babson with a pair of doubles and four runs batted in over three at-bats, while senior shortstop Lexi Morris (Lexington, Mass.) was 2-3 with a triple and three runs scored. Senior catcher Kate Karamouzis (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) reached base four times with three walks and a single, scored three runs and drove in a run. Junior starting pitcher Moira O'Reilly (Columbis, Ohio) hurled a two-hit complete game shutout and struck out four batters in six innings to improve to 18-6 for the Beavers. 

Babson loaded the bases with two outs after left fielder Caroline Taylor (Biddeford, Maine) reached on a fielder's choice, Morris was hit by a pitch and Karamouzis drew a walk. Taylor scored the first run of the game on a wild pitch, before Hennessey brought Morris and Karamouzis around to score with a double to left field to give the Beavers a 3-0 lead. 

Babson struck with two outs again in the third inning and added two more runs for a five-run lead. Morris singled to right and Karamouzis worked a walk, before Hennessey delivered again with a two-run double to center.

The Beavers tacked on another run in the fourth to make it 6-0. Second base Athena Hadjipanayis (Rye, N.Y.) reached on an error to open the frame and later scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Taylor.

Babson ended the game with two runs in the sixth for an 8-0 advantage. Morris smacked a leadoff triple to right center and scored when Karamouzis followed with an RBI single to right center field. Karamouzis later scored on a two-out single up the middle from Hadjipanayis.

Oliveira singled to right in the top of the first with two outs, but O'Reilly retired the next eight Lyons in order until Oliveira struck a one-out single to center in the fourth. Wheaton's only other base runner for the remainder of the contest was first year Ashlyn Burt (Olathe, Kan.), who was hit by a pitch in the fifth inning.