MIDDLETOWN, CT – Wesleyan baseball is swept by Middlebury on their final day of the regular season. The Cardinals drop both games of their doubleheader against their NESCAC West rival Saturday afternoon. In game one, Middlebury used two home runs to start the scoring in the 2^nd and never looked back. They took the 7-inning game 5-1, holding Wesleyan to just five total hits. Game two was much more competitive, despite the final score as there were multiple ties and was only a two run game going into the 9^th. The Panthers scored three in the 9^th to extend their lead and close out the game at 9-5. With the losses this weekend Wesleyan will take the 3^rd seed in the west division. This will set them up to play at the 2^nd seed in the east division which will be decided early in the week. Wesleyan drops to 18-14 (6-6 NESCAC) with the two losses today, Middlebury improves to 23-8 (10-2 NESCAC) securing the 1^st seed in the West Division.
 
HIGHLIGHTS (GAME 1, 5-1 (7 IN) LOSS)

• The scoring for both teams started in the 2^nd inning, with the Panthers scoring first in the top half of the inning by virtue of two solo home runs off the bats of John Collins and Lucas Flemming. Wesleyan came back with a single run in the bottom half when Ryan Molinari '22 came around on an error after he led the inning off with a walk
• The Panthers added a run each in the 3^rd. They capitalized on a pair of Wesleyan errors in the 3^rd to push across an insurance run in the early going
• Middlebury secured their final two runs of the contest in the 4^th. The Panthers used three hits, including a big 2-run single by Alec Ritch to put the game away. Their pitching shut the door in the final four innings, combining to give up only four hits and no runs to finalize the 5-1 win

NOTES:

• David Tirrel '25 (1.1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H) and Adam Bowler '23 (1.2 IP, 0 ER, 1 H) combined for a shutout final three innings in relief
• Matt Halas '24 (2-for-4) secured at least one hit in all three games against Middlebury this weekend
• Middlebury outhit Wesleyan 10-5

 
HIGHLIGHTS (GAME 2, 9-5 LOSS)

• Both teams got on the board early again in game two. Middlebury wasted no time, scoring two runs on two hits and a Wesleyan error to take the early 2-0 lead. Wesleyan responded with a run in the 1^st and 2^nd to tie the game at two. In the 1^st it was Adam Geibel '22 with the RBI-single, and in the 2^nd it was Cole Torino '24 who drove in Molinari to even the game at two
• The teams traded runs over the next two innings to get to the 5^th tied at three. Middlebury scored three in the top half to regain the lead, with Wesleyan coming back with one on a RBI-single by Kyle Sylvester '22.
• The game remained 6-4 through the next five innings, bringing the game to the 9^th. Middlebury's offense came alive in the final frame, plating three more on one hit and one error to extend their lead to five. Wesleyan got one back in the bottom half, but it wasn't enough as the Panthers took both games

NOTES:

• Matt Halas (3-for-5, 2 runs) finished the three games against Middlebury 6-for-12 with 4 runs
• 4 Cardinals have multi-hit performances
• Both teams had 10 hits apiece

 
UP NEXT:
Wesleyan secured the 3^rd seed in the NESCAC West and will await to see who they will play in the first round of the NESCAC Conference Tournament next weekend.