This past weekend the Cardinal softball team traveled to Middlebury hoping to extend its season. The Cardinals and Panthers faced off in a crucial three-game series, vying for the second seed in the West division and the final spot in the NESCAC tournament. After being shut out 5-0 on Friday, Wesleyan swept Middlebury in Saturday’s doubleheader to propel them past the Panthers and earn a ticket to post-season play.
Wesleyan started out slowly on Friday, only making successful contact with the ball once in the entire game compared to Middlebury’s 10 hits. The Panthers used a four-run outburst in the 3rd inning and Middlebury added one more run in the 4th to take the 5-0 win.
The next day things looked gloomy again, as Middlebury jumped to a 5-0 lead in the first inning and appeared to be well on its way to the postseason. But Wesleyan head coach Jen Lane, who has previously spoken of her team’s “never-say-die” attitude, never doubted that her team was up to the task of rallying for a victory.
“I was a little nervous, especially after what happened on Friday,” Lane said. “But…I knew in the kids’ minds that they could do it. They knew what had to happen: If they wanted to go anywhere, they had to win that game. They just got that attitude of ‘this is what we’re going to do,’ and it was a team effort all the way through.”
Wesleyan would go on to hit safely 14 times, and the Cardinal hitters’ strong performance proved to be the difference in Saturday’s game. Wes put up one run in the 2nd when Taylor Zavadsky ’10 drove in Sam Epstein ’12. Down 5-1, the Cardinals did not fold, advancing to a 7-5 lead in the top of the 3rd after a string of singles from Tori Redding ’13, Chrissy Bello ’12, Talia Bernstein ’11, Dana Levy ’12, Epstein, and Zavadsky. Middlebury tied it up 7-7 in the 4th, and neither team could muster a score after that, sending the game into extra innings. Wesleyan scored three runs in the 8th and was able to hold the Panthers off for the win. Meaghan Dendy ’10 acquired her 174th career hit during this game, breaking the school record of 173 held by Marcia Whitehead ’08.
With the series now tied at 1-1, the fates of both teams rested with the outcome of the final game. The duel began with an early 1-1 tie in the 1st inning. Redding reached on an error, advanced to 2nd on the next out, and scored on a single by Bernstein. Wes took the lead in the top of the 4th, beginning with a double from Bernstein and ending with a double from Alexis Kral ’12 down the left field line. Wes maintained its lead for the remainder of the contest. In the top of the 6th, the Cardinals amassed three more runs, closing out the inning with a big play from Dendy, who pounded a triple to right field and brought home two runners. Middlebury started to rally in the bottom of the 7th, plating three runs to close the gap to 6-4, but the effort was not enough as Levy, who was named NESCAC Player of the Week, returned to the mound with two outs and slammed the door to send the Cardinals back into the NESCAC tournament.
The Cardinals begin the playoffs this Friday, and will travel to Williams for a showdown with Tufts, the top seed in the NESCAC East. The victor will move on to challenge the winner between Williams and Bowdoin. Wesleyan has been the runner-up in the tournament the past two years, losing to Tufts in the title game both times, but the third time may well prove to be the charm for the Cardinals as they look to emerge from a wide-open field.
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