The Cardinals softball has been playing well of late, already improving upon last year’s 7-22 record. With two wins over Hamilton and then two tough losses to Amherst, the Cardinals are setting themselves up to be a real threat in the NESCAC. The Cardinals currently hold a 8-8 overall record and are now tied for second in the NESCAC West division with a 2-2 record.
After dropping a tough 1-0 loss to the United States Coast Guard Academy on March 25, the Cardinals were ready to return to conference play at home against the Hamilton Continentals. In the first game, the Cardinals came out on fire, scoring three quick runs in the third inning to knock the Continentals off their game. The Continentals had no response as the Cardinals’ defense allowed the three runs to hold up in their 3-0 victory. Wes saw another outstanding performance by rookie sensation Molly Gaebe who allowed only one single, while pitching her second shutout of the season.
The second game of the afternoon saw Hamilton fighting back with a vengeance. Bringing in a quick four runs in the second inning and two more in the third, Hamilton handed Wes a 6-0 deficit with only five innings left to play. But the Cardinals refused to get discouraged and fought back. On runs by Diana Garcia ’06, Lauren Kunzik ’06, Sue Frost ’05, Ashley Cecchinato ’06, Stacie Szmonko ’07, and two by Vicky Russo ’07, the Cardinals overcame the deficit and sealed the deal with a score of 7-6.
“Those were two huge wins for us we were very happy with the outcome,” said head coach Jenn Shea, “We started hitting better in second game and that got us that second win, our defense dropped a level and we need to pick it up if we want to stay competitive in NESCAC and the rest of our games.”
Gaebe’s performances against Coast Guard and Hamilton led to her being named the first NESCAC Player of the Week for this season. She broke the team record for strikeouts in one season, bringing her season total to 88 with an ERA of 0.45.
The Cardinals took on their next NESCAC foe in a Little Three match up Amherst on Saturday. The Lord Jeffs, who are tied for second with the Cardinals in the NESCAC West Division, took full advantage of the Cardinals and swept the series.
Gaebe pitched the first game and had baffled the Lord Jeffs for three innings, then Amherst women were able to scratch out four runs in the next three innings while the Cardinal bats remained silent. After dropping the first match 4-2, the Cardinals had a chance to take the second when they got a quick 1-0 lead after an inning. However, a five run third inning changed the complexion of the game. The Cards fell 7-5.
“The Amherst games were tough losses but we’re not going to let it set us back. We should have beat them both times but sometimes you just gotta brush yourshoulder off and look ahead at what is to come,” Gaebe said.
“Just like any other game, we can only take it one game at a tie, I think we can do work on our defense and our hitting, pitching game as well,” Shea said.
Next up for the Cardinals is a rescheduled game against Teiko Post College at home on Tuesday at 4 p.m. before they return to NESCAC play and travel to take on the Middlebury Panthers this Saturday.
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