NEEDHAM, Mass. — The number three seed Babson College baseball team rapped out 15 hits and opened the game with eight unanswered runs in an 8-2 victory over fourth-seeded Wheaton College (Mass.) this afternoon in the elimination game of the New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference Championship Tournament at Govoni Field in Needham, Mass. 

The win for the Beavers forces a winner-take-all contest against the previously unbeaten Lyons for the NEWMAC crown. 

Wheaton has its seven-game win streak snapped and dips to 24-13, while Babson improves to 29-11.

The Beavers scored multiple runs in three different innings with two in the first, three in the second and three more in the fourth inning. Every batter in the Babson lineup collected at least one hit, including five hitters with two or more knocks.

First year third baseman Casey Wensley (Raynham, Mass.) paced the Lyons at the plate, going 1-1 with a walk and a run batted in. Junior second baseman Tommy Beauregard (Salem, Mass.) was 2-3 with a run scored. Junior southpaw Josh Fischer (Hopkinton, Mass.) was saddled with the loss to drop to 0-5 after yielding five runs on six hits and a walk in addition to fanning three batters.

Graduate starting left-hander Greg Nieskens (Pine Brook, N.J.) was outstanding for Babson, allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits and three walks to go with six strikeouts in nine complete innings of work to improve to 3-2 on the season. Senior second baseman Tanner Santos (Bethany, Conn.) was 3-5 with two runs batted in and a run scored for the Beavers, while senior third baseman Brant Savage (Charlton, Mass.) was 1-4 with a two-run home run. Graduate student designated hitter John Nowak (Pelham, N.Y.) and senior catcher Ike Kiely (Falmouth, Maine) were both 2-3 with an RBI and a run scored. 

The Beavers wasted no time to get on top with two runs within the first three batters of their lineup in the bottom of the first inning. Santos stung a single to left field and Savage blasted his seventh homer of the year over the right-center fence to give the number three seed a 2-0 lead.

Babson added three runs in the second to increase its advantage to 5-0 after two innings. The Beavers took advantage of an error and put together four hits to take a five-run advantage. Kiely dumped a single into right field, before taking third after a pick-off attempt to first was wide and allowed Kiely to circle the bases and end up on third. Junior left fielder Walter Sadowsky (Morristown, N.J.) lifted a sacrifice fly to right to plate Kiely with the third run. Three hits later and Babson was ahead by five. Senior right fielder Luca Rubin (Los Angeles, Calif.) laced a single through the left side, before senior shortstop Jack Julian (Manchester, Mass.) doubled to put both runners in scoring position with one out. Santo delivered a two-run single to left field to keep the pressure on for the home team.

The Beavers used the same formula in the fourth, taking advantage of an error and collecting four more hits to punch home three runs. Santos reached on an error, took second on a wild pitch and graduate student center fielder Luke Tanner (Los Angeles, Calif.) made sure that Babson could cash in after ripping a run-scoring single to center to make it 6-0. A ground out later, Nowak knocked in Tanner with a single to the left-center gap to give the Beavers a seven-run cushion. Kiely capped the scoring for Babson after serving an RBI single to center for an 8-0 advantage. 

Wheaton broke into the scoring column with a run in the sixth to cut the deficit to 8-1. Junior first baseman Timmy Wagner (Hingham, Mass.) opened the frame with a hustle double to center field, before moving to third on a wild pitch. First year left fielder Shawn Cali (East Taunton, Mass.) grounded out to short with Wagner scoring on the play.

The Lyons tacked on their second run with two hits in the seventh for their only frame of the game with multiple hits. Beauregard and senior center fielder AJ Guindon (Coventry, R.I.) smacked back-to-back singles, before both runners moved into scoring position on a passed ball. Wensley drove in Beauregard with a sacrifice fly to center to make it 8-2.