This past weekend the Cards met the Hamilton Continentals in what turned out to be a very one-sided three-game series, although the Cards took their collective foot off the gas at the last second and failed to deliver what should have been a three-game sweep. The Cards were untouchable for the first 24 innings of the weekend, winning the first two games with scores of 8-1 and 4-1, the second game being only seven innings. The Cards went into the third and final game with a lot of confidence and carried a 5-2 lead into the ninth before letting up just enough to allow Hamilton to crawl back for a 7-5 victory, leaving the series at 2-1.
The pitching staff was especially strong this weekend. Wesleyan got seven shutout innings of four-hit baseball from Louis Gabel ’08 on Friday. On Saturday, Kyle Lee ’08 pitched in the first game, going all seven innings himself while allowing only five hits and one unearned run. In the nightcap, Kit Tholen ’08 pitched extremely well the entire game before the Cards slipped in the ninth. Hamilton took advantage of one hit, five walks, a hit batsman, and an error to score five times and avoid the sweep.
“Our pitching staff was tremendous this weekend; everyone in the field felt totally confident in our pitchers,” said Brice Kelly ’10. “With a staff like that, the thought of losing never really crosses our minds.”
At the plate, the Cards were able to produce all weekend. Most notably, Rob Coughlin ’07 became the 36th Cardinal to enter the 100-hit club with a double in the fourth inning on Friday. The 100-hit club is an impressive landmark, and his induction is a testament to his consistency and dedication over the last few years.
“Rob is a great teammate and friend,” Mautone said. “I’m glad that he was able to grab his 100th hit in the series, it’s quite the milestone to reach for a student-athlete.”
“He works so hard and is so dedicated to both the team and the game in general,” Kelly said. “No one deserves to succeed more than him. He’s a great ballplayer and an even better teammate.”
Coughlin took reaching the milestone as an opportunity to pause and put his career into perspective.
“I’ve struggled a bit at the plate this year, so it was nice to reach a level of success for a career that not everyone gets to,” Coughlin said. “It’s strange to think that my baseball career will be over in a month, but I’m having a great time and appreciating every second of it.”
At this point in the season, the Cards may need some help from other teams in the league in order to make the playoffs, but for now the Cards are focused on playing some good games this weekend, including a doubleheader at Bowdoin on Saturday followed by an afternoon game against Springfield on Sunday.
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