AMHERST, MA – Baseball takes their conference opener against Amherst by a score of 6-5 Friday afternoon. The Cardinals open up NESCAC play with a win for the first time since 2019 season, holding off the Mammoths. Wesleyan saw themselves down 2-0 in the 2^nd inning, before the bats got hot in the 3^rd to take a 4-2 advantage into the bottom half. Wesleyan surrendered the lead again in the 5^th, but Dylan Judd '22 ripped a 2-run home run in the top of the 6^th to give the Cards the lead for good. Wesleyan improves to 8-7 (1-0 NESCAC) while Amherst drops to 4-7 (0-1 NESCAC).
 
HIGHLIGHTS:

• After a relatively quiet first inning of play, Amherst was the first on the board in the 2^nd. The Mammoths scored two runs on two hits to take the early lead
• Wesleyan responded in the next half inning with some offense of their own. After a wild pitch scored the first run of the game, Adam Geibel '22 singled home another to tie the game at two. Two batters later Ryan Molinari '22 drove home two on another single up the middle to give the Cards a 4-2 advantage
• Jackson Reydel homered in the bottom half of the 3^rd to trim the Mammoths deficit back to one going into the 4^th. They then added two more in the 5^th to regain the lead, scoring them courtesy of two hits and a Wesleyan error
• Wesleyan took the lead back for good in the 6^th. Judd hit a two-run blast to right field that drove in Jimmy Clifford '23 to go up 6-5. AJ Karabenick '24 shut the door on the Mammoths in the final 3 and 1/3rds innings, holding them both scoreless and hitless in his relief appearance

 
NOTES:

• AJ Karabenick had a strong showing (3.1 In, 0 hits, 0 runs, 1 K) on the mound
• Dylan Judd (2-for-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI) hit his 2^nd home run of the season (tied for team lead)
• Ryan Molinari (1-for-3, 2 RBI) had his 2^nd multi-RBI game of the season

 
UP NEXT:
Wesleyan will travel back home for a doubleheader against Amherst Saturday at 12pm and 3pm at Dresser Diamond.