This weekend, the softball team went 1-1 with NESCAC East second-place finisher, Trinity College. The doubleheader was a preview for the upcoming playoffs, which begin this Friday, as the teams will open up against each other.

After a tough loss on Wednesday to regionally ranked Western Connecticut, the Cardinals came out strong in the opening game against the Bantams. The team collected seven runs off of twelve hits. More impressive was the fact that eight different Cardinals made contact with the ball.

The two squads were deadlocked 2-2 entering the fifth inning. With two outs, Meaghan Dendy ’10 started off the rally with a double. Marcia Whitehead ’08 followed with her own double, scoring Dendy. Next up, Talia Bernstein ’11 swatted a single to the Trinity center fielder who misplayed the ball, allowing Whitehead to score the second run of the inning. After both teams scored in the sixth, the Cardinals added some insurance runs in the seventh, scoring two more runs with two outs.

The second game of the twin bill did not go as well for the Cardinals, despite a staggering 15 hits from the team with contributions from nine different players. Trinity was the first to put runs on the board, scoring two in the second inning. However, the Cardinals were quick to come back, scoring two runs in the following inning. Trinity regained the lead in the fourth inning, scoring an unearned run. Once again, though, Wesleyan responded in the next inning when Joanna Brownson ’08 connected for a towering two-run homerun that scored Bernstein, who had doubled.

The game switched hands once more as Trinity went ahead 6-4 entering the seventh and final inning. It looked like the Cardinals might come back when they began the inning with a walk from Brownson and a double from Karla Hargrave ’08. The run wouldn’t be enough, however, and Trinity was able to squeeze out of the inning with the win, 6-5.

Even though they would have liked to sweep the Bantams, Wesleyan still has a lot to be proud of from the weekend. The team batted an impressive .429 and saw contributions from almost every player, while all three Wesleyan pitchers booked strong performances.

“We’ve seen that we definitely have the ability to beat Trinity but we need to play well and play like a team,” said co-captain Becca Feiden ’08. “In our loss to Trinity we actually had five more hits, proving that it is crucial that we make sure to capitalize on opportunities to drive in runners throughout the tournament.”

Before the teams face off again on Friday, Wesleyan still has two more regular season games in a double header Tuesday versus Eastern Connecticut.

“We always make sure that we look at one game at a time, especially since Eastern is a solid team, but it’s hard not to be pumped up about playing Trinity again on Friday,” Hargrave said. “The weekend showed that we were the better team but that we can’t just expect to walk away with a win.”

“Eastern Connecticut is a good regional team and at this point every game counts,” Feiden added. “We are preparing for the playoffs and when it comes to making NCAAs, regional games are the deciding factors.”