Coming off a somewhat disappointing Arizona road trip to start off the 2012 season, the Cardinal baseball team returned to New England with its pitching staff firing on all cylinders. As Wesleyan looks to come back north and compete for the NESCAC crown, it seems the reason for their success might not be the big bats that carried the Cardinals to their Arizona victories, but rather the pitching performances that allowed Wesleyan opponents just three runs over their past three games.

After splitting a doubleheader on March 31 in Brunswick, ME with conference rival Bowdoin, the Cardinals returned to Middletown on April 3 to take their home opener from Elms College by a score of 6-1, bringing their record back to the .500 mark at 9-9 on the year.

Both Wesleyan and Bowdoin came into last Saturday’s games unwilling to give an inch to their NESCAC opponent, leading to a pair of pitcher’s duels predicated on which team could eke out runs by any means necessary. Through the first two and a half innings of play, neither team reached base on a hit, but the Cardinals still found a way to get a run on the board in the top of the third. Sam Goodwin-Boyd ’15 and Steve Moran ’13 each drew a walk to lead off the Cardinals’ frame at the plate and advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Kyle Weiss ’12. Andrew Yin ’15 then grounded out to the third baseman to record the second out of the inning, but not before Goodwin-Boyd crossed home to put Wesleyan up 1-0 despite Bowdoin pitcher Christian Martin holding onto a no-hitter. Joe Giamo G’11 smacked a double to lead off the fourth that resulted in another run on four Cardinal hits, building the lead to 2-0.

Despite the stellar performance of pitcher Brett Yarusi ’12 through the first five innings, a litany of errors brought the final result into question for Wesleyan in the sixth inning. Bowdoin centerfielder Tim McGarry ended up on second base on an error in the field by Weiss, and a passed ball on the part of Chris Bonti ’13 allowed McGarry to advance to third. McGarry would cross home for an unearned run to cut the Cardinal lead to 2-1, but Yarusi got out of the sixth and Jeff Blout ’14 came on for a perfect seventh to pick up the save and preserve the win. Yarusi ended the game with no earned runs and just three hits allowed to go along with five strikeouts, picking up his first win of the year and boosting his record to 1-2 this season.

In the second leg of the doubleheader, Bowdoin again found a way to scrap its way onto the scoreboard, but Wesleyan was left wanting on offense. Giamo led the way at the plate, going 3-3 on the game, and gave the Cardinals their best scoring chance in the third inning. Donnie Cimino ’15 and Giamo positioned the Cardinals with runners on second and third with two outs following a double steal, but David Skura ’12 struck out swinging on one of 10 strikeouts by Polar Bear Oliver Van Zant, snuffing out a potential rally. Wesleyan would have a runner within 90 feet of scoring only once more on the day, in the sixth inning, but no closer.

Despite their struggles at the plate, Mike Barsotti ’12 kept the Cardinals in the game with his heroics on the mound, striking out 13 and allowing only three hits in a complete game. However, after a single to lead off the eighth inning for Bowdoin, pinch runner Kyle LeBlanc reached second on a Barsotti wild pitch and came around to score on a throwing error by Goodwin-Boyd on a sacrifice bunt attempt. Henry Van Zant relieved his brother to complete the shutout for the Polar Bears, taking the second game from the visiting Cardinals, 1-0. Barsotti’s record dropped to 2-2 following the loss.

Following the doubleheader in Brunswick, the Cardinals had five days to revive their hitting prowess that brought them home from Arizona fresh off scoring at least 15 runs in three straight wins. In dusting off Dresser Diamond for their home opener against Elm College, the Cardinals still took a while to get going, relying on three scoreless innings by Jimmy Hill ’14 to keep the game knotted 0-0. But Wesleyan found some timely hitting to lead off the bottom half of the fourth, as Alex Meadow ’12, Cimino, Giamo, and Bonti led off the inning with four straight singles to drive in two runs and give the Cardinals a 2-0 lead.

After Elm cut its deficit to 2-1 on an RBI double off Blout in the top of the seventh, Wesleyan responded at the plate. Skura started off Wesleyan’s half of the inning with a single, and Goodwin-Boyd drove him home with a double two batters later. With a runner on second and one out, rightfielder Moran drove the ball into the gap in right-center field and turned on the afterburners, crossing home for an inside-the-park home run to put a dagger in Elm’s comeback chances and increase the Wesleyan lead to 5-1.

The Cardinals tacked on one more when Giamo scored an unearned run on an error in the bottom of the eighth, and the pitching held tough to give Wesleyan the 6-1 win at home. Wesleyan employed a bullpen by committee against Elm, with Hill, Chris Law ’14, Nick Cooney ’15, Blout, Chase Levi ’14, and Sam Elias ’15 holding the opposition to one run on six hits. Law was credited with the win for Wesleyan, boosting his record to 2-0 on the year.Wesleyan will attempt to lift its record over .500 in conference play—where it stands at 1-1 in NESCAC—this coming weekend, as the Cardinals host Middlebury in a two-game series.

a way to get a run on the board in the top of the third. Sam Goodwin-Boyd ’15 and Steve Moran ’13 each drew a walk to lead off the Cardinals’ frame at the plate and advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Kyle Weiss ’12. Andrew Yin ’15 then grounded out to the third baseman to record the second out of the inning, but not before Goodwin-Boyd crossed home to put Wesleyan up 1-0. Joe Giamo G’11 smacked a double to lead off the fourth that resulted in another run on four Cardinal hits, building the lead to 2-0.

Despite the stellar performance of pitcher Brett Yarusi ’12 through the first five innings, a litany of errors brought the final result into question for Wesleyan in the sixth inning. Bowdoin centerfielder Tim McGarry ended up on second base on an error in the field by Weiss, and a passed ball on the part of Chris Bonti ’13 allowed McGarry to advance to third. McGarry would cross home for an unearned run to cut the Cardinal lead to 2-1, but Yarusi got out of the sixth and Jeff Blout ’14 came on for a perfect seventh to pick up the save and preserve the win. Yarusi ended the game with no earned runs and just three hits allowed to go along with five strikeouts, picking up his first win of the year and boosting his record to 1-2 this season.

In the second leg of the doubleheader, Bowdoin again found a way to scrap its way onto the scoreboard, but Wesleyan was left wanting on offense. Giamo led the way at the plate, going 3-3 on the game, and gave the Cardinals their best scoring chance in the third inning. Donnie Cimino ’15 and Giamo positioned the Cardinals with runners on second and third with two outs following a double steal, but David Skura ’12 struck out swinging on one of 10 strikeouts by Polar Bear Oliver Van Zant, snuffing out a potential rally. Wesleyan would have a runner within 90 feet of scoring only once more on the day, in the sixth inning, but no closer.

Despite their struggles at the plate, Mike Barsotti ’12 kept the Cardinals in the game with his heroics on the mound, striking out 13 and allowing only three hits in a complete game. However, after a single to lead off the eighth inning for Bowdoin, pinch runner Kyle LeBlanc reached second on a Barsotti wild pitch and came around to score on a throwing error by Goodwin-Boyd on a sacrifice bunt attempt. Henry Van Zant relieved his brother to complete the shutout for the Polar Bears, taking the second game from the visiting Cardinals, 1-0. Barsotti’s record dropped to 2-2 following the loss.

Following the doubleheader in Brunswick, the Cardinals had five days to revive their hitting prowess that brought them home from Arizona fresh off scoring at least 15 runs in three straight wins. In dusting off Dresser Diamond for their home opener against Elm College, the Cardinals still took a while to get going, relying on three scoreless innings by Jimmy Hill ’14 to keep the game knotted 0-0. But Wesleyan found some timely hitting to lead off the bottom half of the fourth, as Alex Meadow ’12, Cimino, Giamo, and Bonti led off the inning with four straight singles to drive in two runs and give the Cardinals a 2-0 lead.

After Elm cut its deficit to 2-1 on an RBI double off Blout in the top of the seventh, Wesleyan responded at the plate. Skura started off Wesleyan’s half of the inning with a single, and Goodwin-Boyd drove him home with a double two batters later. With a runner on second and one out, rightfielder Moran drove the ball into the gap in right-center field and turned on the afterburners, crossing home for an inside-the-park home run to put a dagger in Elm’s comeback chances and increase the Wesleyan lead to 5-1.

The Cardinals tacked on one more when Giamo scored an unearned run on an error in the bottom of the eighth, and the pitching held tough to give Wesleyan the 6-1 win at home. Wesleyan employed a bullpen by committee against Elm, with Hill, Chris Law ’14, Nick Cooney ’15, Blout, Chase Levi ’14, and Sam Elias ’15 holding the opposition to one run on six hits. Law was credited with the win for Wesleyan, boosting his record to 2-0 on the year.

Wesleyan will attempt to lift its record over .500 in conference play—where it stands at 1-1 in NESCAC—this coming weekend, as the Cardinals host Middlebury in a two-game series.