NORTON, Mass.—Junior Jason Finkelstein (Walpole, Mass.) allowed just two runs over seven innings and three different players homered to help Babson College defeat Wheaton College, 7-3, in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) baseball action on Tuesday afternoon at Sidell Stadium. 

With its fifth consecutive win, Babson improves to 9-7 overall and 3-1 in conference play. Wheaton, which lost for just the second time over its last six contests, slips to 11-5 overall and 2-2 in the NEWMAC. 

Graduate student Ryan Grace (Concord, Mass.) went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBI, junior Ryan Liss (Hollywood, Fla.) doubled and homered and sophomore Ben Valente (Newton, Mass.) added a solo shot to pace the Beavers' 12-hit attack. First-year Bobby Christensen (Scotch Plains, N.J.) also was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI as six different players knocked in a run in support of Finkelstein, who struck out two while scattering seven hits to improve to 1-2 on the year with the win. 

Senior Marcus Rodrigues (Lincoln, R.I.) went 2-for-4 with a double and a walk, first-year Brayden Lewis (Hopedale, Mass.) hit a solo home run and junior Tyler Bellan (Franklin, Mass.) knocked in a pair of runs for the Lyons. Sophomore Evan Yakavonis (Whitman, Mass.) dropped to 0-1 with the loss after giving up three runs on seven hits over the first three innings. 

The Green and White jumped in front in the top of the first as sophomore Dylan Drazka (Rye Brook, N.Y.) led off with a double and scored on Grace's RBI single through the right side two batters later. Bellan tied the game with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the second, but Grace answered with a solo shot to right and Cushner followed Liss' double with an RBI knock to put the Beavers back in front 3-1 in the third. 

Valente answered the homer by Lewis to start the bottom of the fourth with a solo blast of his own to begin the top of the fifth, and Liss hit his third dinger of the season with two outs in the seventh extending Babson's advantage to 5-2. The Green and White tacked on an insurance run on sophomore Gabe Harmon's (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) sacrifice fly in the top of the eighth and classmate Graydon Vyse (South Glastonbury, Conn.) came on in relief of Finkelstein in the bottom of the inning and retired all three batters he faced with runners on second and first to maintain a four-run margin. 

Bellan's second sacrifice fly of the afternoon cut Wheaton's deficit to 7-3 with one out in the ninth and Rodrigues drew a walk to reload the bases before senior Zander Teator (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) escaped any further damage thanks to an infield fly double play to end the game. 

Babson is back in action on Wednesday when it travels to Trinity at 3:30 p.m., while Wheaton hosts Suffolk on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. 

GAME NOTES
•    The Beavers are 40-59 all-time against Wheaton and have won seven of the last nine games in the series since 2024, which includes three consecutive victories at Sidell Stadium. 
•    Babson is now 6-1 this season when allowing five or fewer runs. 
•    Valente extend his hitting streak to seven games, while Grace and sophomore Gabe Cushner (Harrington Park, N.J.) both at least one hit in each of their last six outings. 
•    Grace recorded his team-leading seventh multi-RBI game of the season in Tuesday's victory.