The Cardinal softball team set a program record with its 8-0 start to the season, as the team rolled through its first eight games in Clermont, Fla., while outscoring its opponents 66-32. First baseman Talia Bernstein ’11 set a program record with four doubles in an 8-7 win over Babson College, and Caitlyn Grudzinski ’13 led the Cardinal pitchers with five wins in the eight games. Wesleyan dropped its last six games of the trip, but their 8-6 record in Florida marks just the third time in 16 years the team has come up north with a winning record.

Wesleyan opened with a pair of games against Pine Manor College and Haverford College on March 10. Against Pine Manor, Wesleyan rolled to a five-inning 8-0 victory. Seven of the Cardinals’ nine starters recorded a hit, and Meaghan Dendy ’10 went the distance on the mound, limiting Pine Manor to two hits and striking out six while going 2-for-3 with two RBI at the plate. The Cardinals went on to rally from a 6-3 seventh-inning deficit against Haverford for a walk-off 7-6 win. Sam Epstein ’12 had the big hit, doubling to center to score Alexis Kral ’12 and Bernstein with the tying and winning runs.

On March 11, the Cardinals rolled to victories over Lesley University (12-1) and Dominican University (9-2). Against Lesley, the Cardinals’ 1-3 hitters (Allee Beatty ’13, Tori Redding ’13, and Dendy) combined to go 6-for-10 with seven runs scored and seven RBI. Bernstein (3-for-4, two RBI) and Kral (2-for-2, three RBI, two runs) did most of the damage against Dominican.

Wesleyan opened play on March 13 with a 10-inning win over The College of New Jersey. Each team scored twice in the eighth and once in the ninth for an 8-8 deadlock. Kral gave the Cardinals a 10-8 lead with a two-run double in the top of the inning, and Wesleyan held on for the 10-9 win. Dana Levy ’12 went six innings in relief to pick up the win. The Cardinals added a 6-5 win over Western New England College in the nightcap, as they held a 6-0 lead after five innings and held on to improve to 6-0.

The next day, the Cardinals found themselves down 7-4 to Babson in the bottom of the seventh. An RBI single by Beatty scored Leah Temes ’13 to make it 7-5, and with two outs, Dendy worked a walk to load the bases and Bernstein smacked a three-run double to center field to give Wesleyan the walk-off victory. The Cardinals improved to 8-0 with a 6-2 win over SUNY-Geneseo that night, as Grudzinski went the distance, scattering seven hits and recording two strikeouts.

The Cardinals were unable to continue their late-inning magic against Berry College the next day, however, as they suffered their first loss of the season, 6-5. Wesleyan went up 5-2 in the top of the fourth, but Berry scored twice in the fourth and twice in the fifth while keeping the Cardinals off the board the rest of the way. Wesleyan went on to drop a 9-5 decision to SUNY-Plattsburgh in the nightcap.

After a day off, Wesleyan hoped to rebound against SUNY-Cortland, ranked sixth nationally in Division III at the time, but the Red Dragons rolled to a 6-1 win. Wesleyan was limited to six hits in a 3-1 loss to Manhattanville College in the second game of the day.

Wesleyan finished its trip on the 18th with a pair of close losses to Concordia University (3-2) and 25th-ranked Rhode Island College (5-2). Against Concordia, the Cardinals scored twice in the seventh and had runners on second and third with two outs but could not come up with the big hit.

Wesleyan will look to get back into the win column on Sunday, as the Cardinals open play up north with a doubleheader against Bates, an opponent from the 2009 NESCAC tournament. Wesleyan won that game 12-4 and has won eight of its last nine against the Bobcats overall. Following a Wednesday game, the Cardinals will begin their quest for a third straight NESCAC West title with a three-game weekend series against Hamilton.