All runs eventually come to an end, and the baseball team finally had its 12-game winning streak halted by Hamilton (9-11, 2-6 NESCAC) last weekend. The Cardinals (20-6, 8-1 NESCAC) traveled to Clinton, N.Y. and took the first two games of the series 10-4 and 7-1, and then fell 5-3 in the finale for their first loss against a NESCAC opponent all season.
However, Wesleyan secured a NESCAC playoff spot with the series win, joining Little Three rival Amherst as playoff teams from the West Division.
The Wesleyan pitching staff continued to dominate, allowing only five earned runs in the series. The Cardinals also brought their bats, hammering out 38 hits and swatting three homers. It was the defense that ultimately doomed Wesleyan and its winning streak, however, committing two costly errors in the series finale.
In the opener on April 18, the Cards sent their Friday ace to the mound with Nick Cooney ’15 (5-1, 2.70 ERA). The junior southpaw continued his stretch of superb starts with a shutdown performance in a 10-4 win. Cooney pitched eight innings, allowed only two hits and two earned runs, and struck out a season-high 12 Continentals. In his last three starts, Cooney is 3-0 with a 1.49 ERA and 26 strikeouts.
Guy Davidson ’16 (2-for-3, 2 RBIs, BB, 2 R) and Jonathan Dennett ’15 (3-for-4, 3 RBIs, BB, 2 R) both had big days at the plate. But the biggest day of them all belonged to Robby Harbison ’17, who continued his torrid streak at the plate with a single, a double, and two home runs, scoring and driving in four runs in the process. In his last four games, the freshman designated hitter has been an absolute force at the plate, batting .556 (10-for-18) with nine RBIs.
“I approach each one of my at-bat in the same manner,” Harbison wrote in an email to The Argus. “I try to walk up to the plate with a clear head, focusing only on the pitch at that very moment. Every time I swing the bat, I swing it as hard as my body allows me to, while staying short and quick to the ball and try to hit it hard somewhere.”
In the first game of a doubleheader on April 19, Wesleyan won its 12th game in a row, 7-1, behind yet another seven-inning complete-game performance from Jeff Blout ’14 (5-0, 3.96 ERA), his third in a row. The senior righty allowed only five hits and one run while striking out four. Over his past four starts, Blout is 4-0 with a 1.38 ERA. A second-team all-NESCAC selection a year ago, Blout seems to be hitting his stride at a perfect time for the Cardinals.
Pacing the offense for Wesleyan was Sam Goodwin-Boyd ’15, who went 2-for-4 with a homer and four RBIs. The 6’5’’ first baseman has been clutch all season long with runners in scoring position, leading the team with 29 RBIs.
“Honestly, I chalk the RBI thing pretty much 100 percent to the guys who hit in front of me,” Goodwin-Boyd wrote in an email to The Argus. “Every time I’m up, there’s guys on base, and it makes my job really easy.”
In the series finale, Wesleyan was defeated 5-3 by the Continentals. Gavin Pittore ’16 took the tough-luck loss for the Cards, allowing five hits, four runs (only one earned), and striking out six over five innings.
It was the fielding that let him down in the bottom of the fifth. Wesleyan committed two errors, which led to three unearned runs and gave the Continentals momentum with a 3-2 lead that they didn’t relinquish. The Cardinals pounded out 13 hits but managed to plate only three runs; they left 11 men on base.
Head Baseball Coach Mark Woodworth believes the loss comes with a silver lining.
“A good thing to come from breaking our streak is a reminder that all our success this season has not been as easy as it looks and that we need to continue to recommit to the numerous little details that comprise success,” Woodworth wrote in an email to The Argus.
Even with the loss, however, the Cardinals come back from Clinton riding high, as they now know that there is a NESCAC playoff spot with their name on it. Wesleyan will look to start a new winning streak this Tuesday, April 22 at home on Dresser Diamond against nonconference foe Coast Guard Academy (13-18).
No game is to be overlooked, but the Cardinals must be excited for their upcoming series showdown against Little Three rival Amherst (21-5, 7-1 NESCAC) this weekend. A Little Three title and the top seed in the NESCAC West are at stake.
“This weekend was good, but the big games are the ones coming up in the next few weeks, that’s what everyone’s excited about,” Goodwin-Boyd wrote. “The team that wins the NESCAC will be the one that’s playing [its] best ball at the time of the tournament.”