NORTHBOROUGH, Mass. -- First year left-handed starting pitcher Aiden Cardoza (Dartmouth, Mass.) hurled eight quality innings and junior left fielder Kevin Matos (Lawrence, Mass.) knocked in three runs to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) baseball team to an 8-3 victory over host Worcester Polytechnic Institute in the New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference opener this afternoon at the New England Baseball Complex in Northborough, Mass.

The Lyons have won six of their last seven games and improve to 7-4 overall and 1-0 in league play, while the Engineers dip to 10-6 and 0-1.

Wheaton rallied for four runs in the top of the fifth to erase a two-run deficit and take the lead for good at 5-3. The Lyons tacked on another run in the eighth and a pair of insurance runs in the ninth. Wheaton pounded out 13 hits to register its sixth double-digit hit output for the season, while every hitter in the lineup collected at least one hit.

Matos was 1-3 with a double and a walk for the Lyons, while senior center fielder AJ Guindon (Coventry, R.I.) was 3-5 with a double, a run batted in and three runs scored. Junior first baseman Timmy Wagner (Hingham, Mass.) launched his fourth home run of the season and drove in a pair of runs and senior second baseman Mike Maher (Jefferson, Mass.) was 1-4 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored. Cardoza improves to 2-1 on the season after giving up three runs on just five hits and no walks to go with three strikeouts in his first NEWMAC starting assignment. 

Sophomore third baseman Zachary Roethlein (Pomfret Center, Conn.) paced the WPI offense, going 1-2 with a double, an RBI and a run scored, while senior first baseman Joseph Peregrim (Watervliet, N.Y.) knocked in a run as part of a 1-4 day. Senior right-handed starting pitcher Owen Radcliffe (Holliston, Mass.) was saddled with the loss and drops to 1-2 after allowing five runs on 10 hits and a walk in seven innings and added six strikeouts.

Wheaton faced a 3-1 deficit entering the top of the fifth inning, before the Lyons rapped out five straight hits to open the frame and lead to four runs to take the lead for good.

Junior second baseman Tommy Beauregard (Salem, Mass.), Guindon and senior right fielder Tommy Ambrosone (Hopkinton, Mass.) all reached on infield singles, including a bunt from Ambrosone, to load the bases with no outs for Wheaton. Maher and Matos each followed with back-to-back two-run doubles, and just like that the Lyons owned a 5-3 margin.

Wheaton loaded the bases with no outs again in the eighth and tacked on another run to take a 6-3 advantage. Junior designated hitter Anthony Teberio (Andover, Mass.) and first year third baseman Casey Wensley (Raynham, Mass.) each singled to open the frame, before first year catcher Tyler Bellan (Franklin, Mass.) drew a walk to push the sacks full. Guindon knocked in the sixth run with a one-out fielder's choice to push Teberio across the plate.

One swing of the bat added two insurance runs to the Lyons' count in the ninth to give them a five-run cushion. Maher worked a lead-off base on balls and trotted around the bases ahead of Wagner's blast that landed on the other side of the left field fence to give the visitors an 8-3 lead.

The first three runs of the game all came via the sacrifice fly with Wheaton opening the scoring with a run in the first, before the Engineers countered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame. Guindon and Ambrosone opened the contest with back-to-back singles, before Matos hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Guindon from third with the day's first run for a 1-0 visitor lead.

WPI loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the inning after senior shortstop Jacob Hand (Niskayuna, N.Y.) was hit by a pitch, and junior right fielder Andrew Cash (Marlborough, Mass.) and junior left fielder Tommy Burns (Morris Plains, N.J.) each singled. Roethlein flew out to center to knock in Hand with the sacrifice fly, before sophomore  designated hitter Jack Zawacki (Pittsford, N.Y.) plated the second run for the Engineers with the second sacrifice fly of the half inning in as many plate appearances.

WPI tacked on another run in the bottom of the fourth to take a two-run margin. Roethlein cracked a lead-off double to left center and one out later came around to score on an RBI single to left off the bat of Peregrim to make it 3-1.

Weather permitting, the Lyons return to play tomorrow (March 28) at 3:30 p.m. when they host Rhode Island College at Sidell Stadium for a 3:30 p.m. first pitch, while the Engineers return to Northborough to host Eastern Connecticut State University on March 29 at 3:30 p.m.