The Suffolk University Baseball team (18-17 overall) cruised to a 17-0 victory over the Emerson College Lions (12-24 overall) to open the 2011 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament.

Junior Tim Belanger (Raynham, Mass.) went seven innings allowing only four hits to earn his third win of the season, while the Suffolk offense finally broke open collecting a season-high 22 hits.

Belanger and senior Charles Kilgore (Milford, N.H.) combined on the six hit shutout for the third-seeded Rams who now move on to play second seeded Johnson and Wales University on Thursday evening to open the double elimination tournament. The winner will advance to the 2011 NCAA Regional Tournament in Harwich, Massachusetts in May.

Freshman Michael Muse (Milton, Mass.) got the scoring started for Suffolk with a two out RBI double down the right field line in the second inning to plate sophomore Chris Stanley (Orange County, Calif.).

Freshman Devan Jones (Roslindale, Mass.) hit his team leading third home run of the season in the third, a towering two-run blast to left.

The Rams would add six more runs in the fifth inning and six more in the eighth as six of their nine starters finished the day with multiple hits. The bottom third of the Suffolk lineup finished the day a combined 8-for-13 with seven RBI.

Thursday's Quarterfinals matchup will be held at Pierce Memorial Stadium in East Providence, RI with a 6:30pm start time. The Wildcats (11-3 GNAC) swept the Rams (9-5 GNAC) in their previous doubleheader meeting earlier this season.