Heading into the weekend series with Amherst, the Cardinals knew that one loss would eliminate them from playoff contention. Their determination was on the ball Friday, as a stellar performance in front of the home crowd in an 8-3 victory gave the team hope that they could battle their way into the postseason. However, the Lord Jeffs did not go down without a fight, and the Cardinals saw their playoff hopes slip away on Saturday with consecutive 10-3 and 6-3 losses.
“We’re just disappointed,” sept-captain Joey Giaimo ’11 said. “It’s always difficult when you work so hard to achieve success but don’t find it for whatever reason.”
Friday saw the Cardinals focused and full of energy, as the team jumped out to an early three-run lead thanks to a Kyle Weiss ’12 leadoff single, an RBI triple off the bat of Alex Meadow ’12, and a pair of RBI singles from Giaimo and sept-captain Derek Dettorre ’11. A five-run fifth inning gave the Cardinals an 8-1 edge, capped off by a grand slam to left field by fellow sept-captain Justin Freres ’11 that was met by a chorus of cheers from the Cardinal faithful. Pitcher Mike Barsotti ’12 held the lead in his complete-game effort, striking out twelve batters to improve to 3-3 on the season.
“Yeah, we felt good,” Barsotti said following Friday’s victory. “It was our series to sweep. But baseball isn’t a game of pure adrenaline, and sometimes you catch a bad break.”
Traveling to Amherst to complete the three-game series, the Cardinals spotted the Lord Jeffs a five-run lead in the first inning that they were not able to overcome. Wesleyan fell prey to an undisciplined defensive play, with four of the first inning runs coming unearned despite Jimmy Hill ’14 allowing no hits. The Cards tried to battle back, with Meadow helping at the plate with two RBIs and Hill contributing on the mound. Following a crucial loss that ended their playoff chances, the Cardinals had to suit up for a second game that held little playoff significance but constituted a considerable test of character. The team did not quit, battling hard through nine innings, but were unable pull off the win.
“I’m looking forward to getting better this last week [of the season],” Giaimo said. “The goal now is to get to 20 wins, so we’ll see what happens.”
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