NORTON, Mass. -- Senior catcher Zach DeMattio (North Attleboro, Mass.) hit a three-run homer and classmate Jake Studley (Barrington, R.I.) hit a two-run shot to lead the number one seed Wheaton College (Mass.) baseball team to a 7-2 victory over fifth-seeded Massachusetts Institute of Technology this afternoon to capture the New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference Championship at Sidell Stadium on the campus of Wheaton in Norton, Mass.
The Lyons improve to 30-10 and earn an automatic berth to the NCAA Baseball Tournament, while the Engineers' cinderella tournament run comes to an end with an 18-23-1 record after reaching the title game for the ninth time in school history. Wheaton reaches the 30-win mark for the 13th time in school history and the first time since the 2016 campaign when the Lyons were 31-13.
Wheaton wins its conference-record 16th NEWMAC crown and secures its 17th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Lyons will await its seeding in the upcoming NCAA Regional. Wheaton has won 17 straight games for the second-longest string in the nation and to stand as the second-longest streak in school history matching the stretch of success from March 14 to April 6, 2008. The Lyons have also won 26 straight contests at home for the longest home win-streak in the nation among all divisions.
DeMattio was named the NEWMAC Baseball Tournament Most Outstanding Player after going 4-10 with two home runs, eight runs batted in, two runs scored and three walks. He knocked in multiple runs in all three games of the tournament. The senior was 1-3 on the day with a walk, a run scored and three RBI for Wheaton. Studley was 1-3 with two runs batted in and two runs scored. Senior left fielder Stephen Quigley (Halifax, Mass.) was 1-2 with an RBI and junior third baseman Nick Croteau (Cumberland, R.I.) was on base three times with a single and a pair of walks and scored a run. Senior right-handed starting pitcher Griffin Young (Dover, N.Y.) grinded out six and two-thirds innings and allowed two runs on just four hits and four walks to go with six strikeouts to improve to 6-1 on the season. Junior righty Max Pierce (Scituate, R.I.) was outstanding in relief for the Lyons, allowing just two hits in two and a third innings of scoreless ball, while striking out a batter. Pierce has not allowed a run and just four hits in his last eight appearances, covering 11 ⅓ innings.
Sophomore center fielder Teddy Schoenfeld (Boulder, Colo.) was 2-4 with a walk to pace MIT. He finished the tournament with 12 hits in 27 at-bats. First year left fielder Reed Tubbs (Pflugerville, Texas) reached base twice with a single and a walk in four plate appearances. First year right-handed reliever Brian Rapanan (Gurnee, Ill.) (1-2) suffered the loss for the Engineers, giving up three runs on three hits and a walk to go with four strikeouts in four innings of work.
Wheaton scored two runs in the bottom of the third to take a 3-2 lead. Junior second baseman Mike Maher (Jefferson, Mass.) singled to right field to open the inning and circled the bases ahead of a rocket over the left field fence off the bat of Studley for his league-leading ninth home run of the season to give the Lyons the lead for good.
Wheaton tacked on another run in the fourth to take a 4-2 margin. Croteau lifted a leadoff single to right center and advanced to third on a pair of wild pitches, before Quigley hit a sacrifice fly to center to bring home Croteau with the fourth run.
The Lyons created some additional breathing room with three runs in the seventh. Quigley laced a single through the right side and Studley was later hit by a pitch to put two runners on base with two outs for DeMattio. He delivered with his second homer in as many days over the left field fence to match Studley with nine on the year to give Wheaton a five-run cushion. DeMattio now has 19 career home runs to stand fifth on the team's career list with Studley one behind with 18 long balls.
MIT took advantage of some early control issues for the Lyons' Young and scored two runs in the top of the second for a 2-0 lead. Junior third baseman Graham Cartwright (La Jolla, Calif.) drew a leadoff walk for just the sixth walk that Young had issued all season. Sophomore right fielder Michael Finch (Brentwood, Tenn.) was hit by a pitch, before both runners moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt. Tubbs worked a walk to load the bases. Cartwright scampered home on a wild pitch with the Engineers' first run to mark the first time that Wheaton had trailed in the tournament. Schoenfeld followed with a walk to reload the bases and junior catcher Jake Sonandres (Torrance, Calif.) grounded out to bring home Finch with MIT's second run.