While most of campus was enjoying spring break over the last two weeks, the baseball team was hard at work in Arizona and California, playing a total of 12 games, including three double-headers. Their overall record on the trip was 5-7. The men played Swarthmore College, the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, and Menlo College, each four times.

The Cardinals opened the season in Boulder Creek, Ariz. on March 8th with a 10-9 comeback win over Swarthmore. Down 9-5 in the bottom of the ninth inning, the men rallied with five runs as pitcher Michael Cifuentes ’10 was credited with the win. Swarthmore was able to get revenge the next day, beating Wesleyan 15-12 in a high scoring game. The Cards had a strong 8-1 lead going into the bottom of the sixth, but the Phoenixes scored 14 runs in three innings. Wesleyan triumphed in both games of a double-header on the 12th, beating Swarthmore 13-10 and 9-3, as the team batted .367 in the twinbill. Mike Barsotti ’12 pitched a complete game in the opener after the Cardinals opened with 10 runs in the first inning. In the second game, Wesleyan took another commanding 6-0 lead and Brett Yarusi ’12 got the win as the men completed their series against Swarthmore.

The Cards fell to Pittsburgh-Bradford twice before taking both games in the doubleheader. In the first game, Drew Dominguez ’09 notched an RBI and run while also pitching five innings and recording six strikeouts, though Wesleyan fell 8-6. Despite Garrett Lamborn’s ’09 two-run home run in the first inning of the nightcap, Pittsburgh-Bradford came back with a 5-3 win. The men made the Panthers pay a few days later as Cifuentes picked up his second win of the season, coming in from the bullpen in an 11-8 victory. Dominguez went the distance in the second game as the Cards won 6-3. Both games featured tight spots that Wesleyan was able to get out of, showing their coolness in the face of adversity.

The trip to Arizona was a successful one for the team, but California proved to be more of a challenge. After spending four days practicing in Los Angeles, the Cards traveled north and went 0-4 against Menlo College. The worst loss occurred in the second game, as Wesleyan had a 10-2 lead going into the bottom of the fifth inning. Menlo scored three runs in the fifth and 10 in the sixth to run away with the game, beating the Cards 21-10.

Lamborn led the team with a .449 batting average over the 12 games. The freshmen also proved to be an integral part of the team, as Yarusi pitched in three games, Alex Meadow ’12 had an 11-game hitting streak with a .370 batting average, and David Skura ’12 and Brandyn Cooper ’12 had a few RBIs.

The Cardinals returned to the win column with a 16-1 home victory over Coast Guard on Thursday. Wesleyan finally sees some NESCAC action this weekend, facing off against Amherst for three Little Three games. The men play an afternoon game today before heading to Amherst for a Saturday doubleheader.