NORTON, MA- The fourth-seeded Babson College baseball team jumped out to an 11-run lead before holding off number-two Wheaton College, 13-9 on Friday during the second day of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament in Sidell Stadium.

Wheaton, which is ranked 12th nationally and tied for third in the most recent regional poll, slipped to 27-8 and will take on top seed Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in a loser's bracket game at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow at WPI. The 19-15 Beavers await the winner for a 4:00 p.m. contest.

Playing the visiting team, the Lyons got on the board first, as junior Jason Clucas (Peabody, MA/Saint John's Prep) drilled an RBI double to straightaway center field with one down in the second inning, but the Lyons left runners at the corners, a prelude to Wheaton stranding 18 runners in the game.

In the bottom of the inning, Babson responded with five runs on three hits, as sophomore Corey Highfield (East Hampstead, NH/Central Catholic) provided the big blow with a two-run single. The Lyons were able to get a run back in the third, as junior Paul Malaguti (Andover, MA/Andover) was hit with the bases loaded, but Wheaton's final two batters were retired with the bags packed.

A sacrifice fly and two-out RBI singles by junior Jake Bartlett (Weymouth, MA/Boston College) and freshman Billy Miller (Sagamore Beach, MA/Boston College) in the fourth allowed Babson to push its lead to 8-2, and junior Brian Scanlon (Lawrenceville, NJ/The Hun School of Princeton) added an RBI double with two down in the fifth inning. The Beavers plated three runs on a pair of Wheaton errors in the seventh before Bartlett capped the four-run frame with a sacrifice fly, making the score 13-2.

In the eighth, the Blue and White doubled its run count, as sophomore Sean Munley (Trenton, NJ/The Hun School of Princeton) plated a teammate on a sacrifice fly before freshman Dan Haugh (Andover, MA/Saint John's Prep) singled in another run. The following frame, the Lyons continued their rally but ultimately came up shy, as Babson senior Matt Barton (Washingtonville, NY/Washingtonville) slammed the door.

Munley and junior Jeff Lieneck (Foxboro, MA/Xaverian Brothers) provided run-scoring singles in the ninth, and freshman Dan Demeo (Glastonbury, CT/Glastonbury) walked with the bases loaded to make it 13-8. Barton inherited a three-on, one-out save situation before yielding a sacrifice fly to freshman Hal Landers (Salem, NH/Salem) but fanning the final batter of the contest.

Senior Nick Pecora (Highland Park, NJ/Immaculata) was 3-for-5 with three runs for the Lyons, sophomore Tad Skelley (Wolfeboro, NH/Holderness School) added a 2-for-2 effort while scoring a pair of runs off the bench, while Clucas, Lieneck and Malaguti added two knocks apiece. Munley plated a pair, and senior Louie Bernardini (Gray, ME/Gray-New Gloucester) took the loss after yielding three earned runs in two-plus innings.

Babson, which left 14 runners on base, was paced by the bat of sophomore Billy Besinger (Milton, MA/Catholic Memorial), who turned in a 3-for-3 showing while scoring three runs and walking twice. Miller, junior Peter O'Toole (Salem, MA/Saint John's Prep) and freshman Sean Cleary (Milton, MA/Salisbury School) each added a pair of hits, and Scanlon scored three times while walking twice. As the fourth pitcher for the Beavers, Barton notched his second save of the year, closing out a victory for senior Jeff Wojnar (Bellaire, TX/Episcopal), who allowed three runs in seven-plus innings while scattering eight hits. He fanned three and walked four.