TUCSON, AZ- Baseball splits in their final day in Arizona, defeating Macalester before falling to Gustavus Adolphus. Wesleyan began the day with a 2^nd straight one-run victory over Macalester, winning 7-6. This one was a little less dramatic than their 17-16 walk-off win just one day before, with the final run scored by either team coming in 5^th inning. Pitching from both sides shut down their opponents bats the rest of the way, to get to the final score of 7-6. The 2^nd game of the day came against Gustavus Adolphus in yet another high scoring battle. Wesleyan enjoyed an 8-1 lead going into the 3^rd inning, but over the next few innings slowly saw their lead evaporate. The game went into the 8^th tied at 10, before Gustavus Adolphus exploded for seven runs in the final two innings to put the Cardinals away, 17-13.

Macalester drops to 1-7, Gustavus Adolphus improves to 7-2, and Wesleyan moves to 5-5 heading back to Connecticut.
 
HIGHLIGHTS (VS. MACALESTER 7-6 WIN)

• Wesleyan jumped on Macalester pitching in the 1^st, scoring four runs on three hits. Jack Scher '22 singled home the first run of the game through the left side to get the Cards on the board. Kyle Sylvester '22 followed that up with another RBI single to extend the lead to two. The four-run first inning was capped off by a RBI triple by Shaun Hillis '22 who drove in Sylvester
• Macalester responded with two runs in the 2^nd, taking advantage of two Cardinals errors to cut the deficit in half
• After Macalester added another run in the 3^rd to cut the lead to one, it was Luke LaSaracina '25 who was able to extend the Cardinals lead. He hit a 2-run home run to give Wesleyan a 6-3 lead
• The last of the scoring came in the 5^th inning. Wesleyan started it in the top half when a Sylvester single that drove home Scher who had tripled earlier in the inning. Macalester scored two in the bottom half on three hits to cut the deficit to one. That one-run lead would stay the rest of the way with Eddie Zanor '23 coming in to pitch a scoreless (and hitless) final four innings

NOTES:

• Eddie Zanor was impressive in his 2^nd appearance of the season (4.0 IP, 0 hits, 1 walk, 4 K's)
• Kyle Sylvester went 5-for-9 in two games against Macalester. Going 3-for-4 with two RBI in today's game
• Luke LaSaracina (1-for-4, 2 RBI) hit the first home run of his career

 
HIGHLIGHTS (VS. GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS 17-13 LOSS)

• Wesleyan jumped out to an early lead again, scoring eight runs in the first two innings to take an 8-1 advantage into the 3^rd. Jack Carpenter '25 hit a 2-run triple in the first to cap off a 4-run first inning. Evan Diaz '25 came through with a 3-run home run in the 2^nd extending the Cardinals' lead to seven
• Mitch Casperson hit a big 4^th inning 3-run home run to get Gustavus Adolphus back in the game as that cut the deficit to only three. They would continue the hot hitting in the 5^th, driving in five-runs on three hits to give them their 2^nd lead of the contest at 10-8
• Wesleyan responded with a run in the bottom of the 5^th thanks to a LaSaracina double that he tried to stretch into a triple to end the 5^th. The Cardinals added another to tie the game in the 6^th, by virtue of a Diaz sacrifice fly
• Gustavus Adolphus retook the lead in the top of the 8^th, scoring three runs on four hits. They then opened it up in the 9^th, extending the lead to seven on a six-hit, four-run inning. Wesleyan was able to salvage three runs in the bottom half to get to the final score of 17-13

NOTES:

• Luke LaSaracina continued his hot day with a 3-for-5 performance, driving in three runs
• Evan Diaz (3-for-5) had a big day as well, setting a career high with four RBI
• Wes Fritch '22 (4-for-6, 3 runs) had his 2^nd 4-hit game in two days
• Gustavus Adolphus outhit Wesleyan 17-15 in this high-scoring affair

 
UP NEXT:
Wesleyan returns home to Middletown, CT where they will play Emerson Friday the 25^th at 4pm. This will be the home-opener for the Cardinals, who went 2-3 on their home diamond last year.