For most of Tuesday’s doubleheader against Trinity, it appeared senior softballers Sue Frost and Liz Burnside would have their Senior Day spoiled by a Bantam sweep. Instead, with the scored tied 3-3 in the sixth inning, Frost lined a double to left-centerfield, bringing Molly Gaebe ’07 in from second base to score the winning run for the Lady Cards, as they split the two games against their intrastate rival.
“Sue getting the game winning hit in the sixth was such a rush, and I can’t imagine a better way for her to finish off such a fine athletic career here at Wes,” Burnside said.
Having lost the opening game 8-1 to the Trinity women, the Cardinals win snapped a six game losing streak. It was also their first win against a NESCAC opponent since topping Amherst on April 9.
“We didn’t talk about it during the game because nobody wanted to jinx it, but after the game we all were relieved that we were able to send the seniors away with a win,” Gaebe said. “Not like it was our gift to them or anything, because Sue and Liz were huge factors in the second game.”
After committing four errors in the first game, it appeared that the Lady Cards defense would do them in for a second straight time in the nightcap. All three Bantam runs in the second game were unearned, including the two that came right after Wesleyan tied the game in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Trailing 3-1, the Cardinals were given a boost by a couple of Trinity defensive lapses. In the bottom of fifth, both Karla Hargrave ’08 and Burnside reached on Bantam errors. Hargrave scored on a subsequent error and the Cardinals retied the game on an RBI single off the bat of Beth Bernstein ’06, setting the stage for Frost’s clutch double the following inning.
After taking the lead, the team had three shots to bring in Frost as an insurance run but failed to do so, making the seventh a somewhat nerve-racking experience for the Cardinals. With runners on second and third for Trinity, leadoff hitter Stacy Hills sent a drive to left field that fortunately fell safely into the glove of Burnside to seal the win for Gaebe, who pitched a complete game.
In addition to scoring the winning run in the Cardinals’ 4-3 victory, Gaebe pitched a total of 10 1/3 innings without giving up an earned run. Entering the first game in the fourth inning after starter Hargrave gave up seven runs, Gaebe quickly settled in to limit the Trinity hitters to three unearned runs and three hits the rest of the way.
“I think after they started to get behind they got overanxious,” Gaebe said. “They all loved to chase the outside curveball. Once one girl struck out I guess they all got rattled, and then they started chasing pitches.”
The seniors acknowledged the importance of having such a quality pitcher in their rotation.
“As far as Molly’s performance goes, all I can say is that was totally bananas,” Burnside said. “She has such a huge effect on the game and our team. Totally bananas.”
Despite losing the opening game, the Cardinals had the lead for the first three innings after Lindsey Greenberg ’07 drilled a pitch to the left-center field wall for a one out triple. The second place hitter then scored on a two out single by Marcia Whitehead ’08, but despite eight hits, the Cardinals failed to score again.
The women will complete their season on the road this weekend against the cellar-dwelling Hamilton Continentals. Despite having nothing to play for, the team expects to end the season on a high note.
“It’s easy to stay positive on this team because even when we lose we have a good time, and it only helps to stay positive,” Gaebe said. “Doubleheaders are great because even when you lose the first one, you have to stay excited in order to win the next one.”
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