The Wesleyan baseball team is in the midst of an excellent run, using the momentum from their Little Three championship to put up a strong effort against NESCAC rival Hamilton. 

On Friday, April 15, the Cardinals traveled to Clinton, New York, defeating the Continentals 13–10. In the first two-and-a-half innings, the Cardinals opened with a stellar 11–0 lead. Over the next four innings, however, the Continentals managed to close the gap, putting the score at 13–10 going into the seventh inning. Fortunately, the Cardinals were able to maintain their lead throughout the remainder of the game and take the win. The game saw standout performances by Captain Adam Geibel ’22, who had three RBI and a career-high four hits, and Matt Halas ’24, who had three RBI and two runs.

The Continentals fought back in the follow-up game on Saturday, April 16, resulting in a narrow loss for Wesleyan. The Cardinals got off to a strong start, scoring four runs in the first inning and shutting out Hamilton through the first four innings on the back of an excellent performance from pitcher Alex Deutsch ’25. Starting in the fifth, however, the Continentals came back to score five runs on three hits, bringing the final score to 4–5 and tying up the series with one win apiece.

The Cardinals remained determined after this loss and came back the next day in full force to finish the series off with another win. Once again, the Cardinals opened the game with a strong start with two runs on three hits in the first inning. The Continentals fought back in the third and fourth innings, tightening up the score to 4–3. However, the Red and Black proved themselves undeterred by this challenge, adding two more runs in the seventh inning with back-to-back RBI singles by Wes Fritch ’22 and Tyler Cosgrove ’25, securing a 6–3 victory for the Cardinals.

Captain Kyle Sylvester ’22 credits the Cardinals’ victories in this series to the team’s unwavering perseverance. 

“Our coach talked to us about how no matter what’s going on, it doesn’t really matter because the other team has to deal with all those things, too,” Sylvester said. “We went through a gauntlet up in Hamilton and all our guys were just ready no matter what. I’d say staying in the moment and just being ready allowed us to take that series.”

Luke LaSaracina ’25 added that the team’s strong sense of community has helped fuel their successes.

“It being a NESCAC conference game as well as knowing that Hamilton is a talented squad this year definitely fired us up,” LaSaracina wrote in an email to The Argus. “I also would have to give some of the credit for our success to the team bonding event (watching Fast Times at Ridgemont High)—that for sure got the boys pumped up.”

The Cardinals’ next matchup was against no. 24 Roger Williams University at home on Thursday, April 21. The Hawks took an early 6–3 lead by the fourth inning, but the Cardinals were able to cut down that lead with another run in the sixth inning. Roger Williams responded in the following inning with a grand slam before Dylan Judd ’22 followed it up with a home run, reducing the Hawks’ lead to five. Unfortunately, Roger Williams kept their momentum through the eighth inning, with four runs on two hits and two errors. The Cardinals notched one more run from a single by Sylvester, but ultimately, the Cardinals ended the game with a 6–14 loss. 

Though defeated, the Cardinals were not discouraged.

“There were bigger plays that put the game out of reach,” Sylvester said. “It was a good learning experience. You’re gonna play teams that have your number on one day. I thought our pitchers pitched well and our hitters had good at-bats. Sometimes games just don’t go your way and sometimes there’s kind of big plays that dictate that game.”

The Cardinals proved their ability to bounce back from adversity in their subsequent doubleheader on Saturday, April 23 against Bates. In the first game, the Cardinals opened with an early lead from four runs at the bottom of the second inning. Wesleyan then added two more runs over the next two innings to secure a substantial 6–0 lead. Bates managed to cut the lead to two with four runs on four hits in the fifth inning, but then lost the momentum and did not score again for the remainder of the season. Wesleyan added two more runs in the sixth inning for a final score of 8–4. 

The second game opened with a stronger start from the Bobcats, who scored three runs in the second inning. The Cardinals quickly fired back with a run of their own in the second, followed by two more in the third to tie it up. Wesleyan then secured a decisive lead in the fifth inning from four runs on three hits. The Bobcats managed two more runs in the seventh inning but were unable to regain their early lead, bringing the final score to 7–5 and giving the Red and Black their second victory of the day.  

LaSaracina emphasized the team’s determined spirit as a key factor in the Cardinals’ victories. 

“Our team’s desire to win and the trust in our pitchers to keep us in the game, as well as the trust in our hitters to get runs across were huge pieces to our success against Bates,” LaSaracina wrote. “Although the game was technically out of conference, our team never wants to lose and our desire to win kept us focused for all 14 innings this past weekend.”

The Cardinals maintained the momentum for their next game on Wednesday, April 27, which saw them win by the largest margin to date this season in a 16–2 victory over Western Connecticut State University. 

Looking forward, the Cardinals have a huge weekend ahead of them as they take on Middlebury in a series at home for the last regular season games of the year. The team is eager to take on this challenge and recognizes how important winning these games will be to determining the team’s trajectory for the rest of the season.

“If we take two out of three, I’m pretty sure we win the one seed for our side,” Sylvester said. “And honestly, our expectations are high. We won a Little Three [Championship]; that was our first goal. Winning a NESCAC [Championship] and then whatever takes us past that is what it is. Staying in a moment is a big part of it and right now we’re locked in on the series.”

The Panthers will no doubt be formidable competitors, but through their determination and strong sense of camaraderie, the Cardinals have shown they are more than ready to take on the challenge.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better experience so far as a freshman,” LaSaracina wrote. “This team is a very tight knit group that was very inclusive from day one. I genuinely couldn’t have asked for a better group of upperclassmen as leaders, teammates, and friends. Our team has proven this all year in that there is always going to be a fight with us. There is never really a point where we give up. Our team is confident in our ability to win and come back from anything if need be.”

Erin Byerly can be reached at ebyerly@wesleyan.edu.