Softball faced the Lord Jeffs of Amherst this past weekend to decide who would take the title of Little Three Champions. Going into the matchup, the Cardinals were riding a five-game losing streak against the Lord Jeffs. Despite the rough track record, the Cards won two of three versus Amherst and captured their second Little Three title in program history. The last time the Cards won the title was in 2008, when the Cards tied a school record with 24 wins on the year.
The squads split the first two games, with Wesleyan taking the first contest 5-2 and falling 7-5 in the second game. Undeterred, the Cardinals responded by blowing out Amherst in the third game 8-0 in just five innings.
On Friday, April 19, Amherst got out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning. The Cardinals responded with two hits and forced two errors that allowed Wesleyan to earn three runs. Jill Gately ’15 doubled to left center field, driving in Ashley McLaren ’13 and Allee Beatty ’13 for two RBIs. Gately scored the third run of the inning off a catcher’s throwing error. The Cardinals added another run in the second inning off of Beatty’s single to bring home Matti Peter ’13, and Amanda Roosa ’16 came around to score after tripling in the third to put Wes up 5-1. Amherst got just one more, and Wesleyan preserved the 5-2 victory. Pitcher Su Pardo ’16 earned her 11th win on the mound, allowing five hits and striking out eight Lord Jeffs.
The Cardinals and Lord Jeffs met again on Saturday, April 20 for a doubleheader. Amherst came out stronger to start the day, building a 5-0 lead by the end of the second inning. The Cardinals were able to regain some lost footing in the bottom of the third inning when Tori Redding ’13 grounded out to third base, allowing Alex Sarkowsky ’14 to score. Going into the bottom of the fifth inning, the Cardinals were behind 6-1 until Redding came up with another big hit and brought home fellow senior Beatty. Despite the four hits in the bottom of the sixth inning from Gately, Lindland, Lexi Parr ’15, and Caitlyn Grudzinski ’13, the Cardinals were unable to come from behind to tie the contest. Gately scored on the throw attempting to prevent Lindland from stealing second base, and Lindland scored on a wild pitch, but Wes ultimately fell 7-5.
Going into the third game of the series, both teams had one win apiece. This final game would determine the Little Three winner for 2013. The Cardinals took an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, with Gately’s two-run home run bringing Beatty home. This was Gately’s sixth homer of the season.
Wesleyan added on to the early first inning lead in the third frame with four hits and three runs scored. Redding’s double brought home Linland, and Gately brought home Redding with a run of her own. Finally, Roosa singled to bring Gately home, upping the lead to 5-0, but the Cards did not relent. Wesleyan tallied three more runs in the fourth, beginning when Gately was hit by a pitch while the bases were loaded, allowing Beatty to score. McLaren’s single earned two RBIs and allowed Redding and Lindland to score, setting the 8-0 margin that won Wes the Little Three.
Pitching for the second consecutive day, Pardo outdid her performance in the first meeting by retiring 15 of the 17 batters she faced. When she left the ballgame, Pardo had allowed only one hit and struck out five. Pardo now boasts 125 Ks in 88 innings pitched on the season with a perfect 12-0 record and 1.91 ERA.
Gately also broke the school record for RBIs with 44 on the season. The previous record belonged to Chrissy Bello ’12, who in 2011 finished her season with 40 RBI.
“We’ve all been working so hard this season,” Gatley said. “I’m really excited to see what the postseason brings us.”
The Cardinals’ record now stands at 24-7 overall and 7-2 NESCAC West. Next up, Wesleyan will face Middlebury at home this Friday, April 26 and at a doubleheader on Saturday, April 27. These three games versus the Panthers mark the end of regular season action. Middlebury and Wesleyan are currently tied for the NESCAC West title. With the NCAAs on the line, it will be exciting to see how this year’s record-breaking softball team will respond.