The Cardinal softball team split a Tuesday doubleheader against the competitive Colonials of Western Connecticut State in Danbury. The Cardinals took the opener, marking their first win against the Colonials since their first meeting in 2008, but were unable to finish with a sweep against their in-state rivals.
In the first game, both teams remained scoreless until the last inning. Dana Levy ’12 led off the top of the 7th with a single that sparked the Wes momentum. Sam Epstein ’12 followed with another single advancing Levy to second base. After a Western Conn. error, Taylor Zavadsky ’10 capitalized on a chance to drive in Levy with a fielder’s choice grounder, finally putting Wes on the board. The Cardinals kept the Colonials scoreless in the bottom of the 7th, with Meaghan Dendy ’10 putting the finishing touches on a remarkable four-hit shutout, her second this year and fourth of her career. Levy’s run and Dendy’s pitching gave Wes the edge it needed to slip by Western Conn. by a 1-0 margin in a well-played game. Levy and Chrissy Bello ’12 each had a pair of hits for the visitors in the contest.
The Cardinals came out hitting in the second game of the twinbill. Eight of 10 Cards had at least one hit, but it wasn’t enough as the Colonials took the nightcap and salvaged a split.
Bello began the string of Wes hits in the top of the 2nd with a single up the middle. Epstein followed with a single to center field and continued on to second base, moving Bello to third, on a WCSU error. With two players now on base, Alexis Kral ‘12 stepped up and blasted a double to right-center, driving in Bello and Epstein. Zavadsky continued the offensive barrage with a double to left-center field, bringing Kral home with the Cardinals’ third run. Wes held Western Conn. scoreless in the bottom of the inning as the Cardinals appeared well on their way to a sweep.
Tori Redding ’13 led off the top of the 3rd with a single to right-center field. Singles from Talia Bernstein ’11 and Bello scored Redding, giving the Cardinals a 4-0 cushion going into the bottom of the frame. But despite retiring two of the first three batters, a Wes error and two timely hits, including a two-run home run, gave Western three runs to close the gap to 4-3 after three. Wesleyan remained scoreless in the 4th and 5th innings while WCSU notched two more runs to take a 5-4. Epstein answered with a solo home run to tie the game in the top of the 6th inning. The Cardinals held off the Colonials in the bottom of the 6th and both teams failed to score in the 7th, sending the game into extra innings.
In extra innings, the international tie-breaker rule deems that each team starts with a runner on second during its half of the inning. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, they failed to take advantage in the 8th. Dendy, who was placed on second base, advanced to third after Bello grounded out to the pitcher, but was stranded on third after Levy popped up to second. In the bottom of the 8th, Western Conn.’s runner advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly by the Colonials’ first batter of the inning, giving Western Conn. a 6-5 win and salvaging the split.
Prior to Tuesday, the Cardinals had won all of their games that went into extra innings this season. Bello attributes the result of this past Tuesday to their lack of timely hitting in the latter part of the game.
“In previous games that went into extra innings we were able to rally back with our offense,” said Bello. “We just didn’t have it Tuesday.”
The team now stands at 14-7 on the season. The Cardinals return to NESCAC West play this weekend , travelling to Williamstown, Mass. for a three-game set against the Ephs. Wesleyan, which is now ranked seventh in the latest New England Division III poll (the highest-ranked NESCAC team in the poll), is hoping to sweep the 4-12 Ephs in their quest to win the NESCAC West for the third year in a row.
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