MIDDLETOWN, CT. – The Wesleyan baseball team picked up a huge conference victory Friday afternoon at Dresser Diamond, defeating Hamilton to stay tied for first in the NESCAC West Division. Patrick Murphy '24 was impressive, going the distance while holding the Continentals to just two runs on five hits for his 4^th win of the season. The Cardinals fell behind 1-0 in the 1^st and 2-1 in the 6^th, but the offense always seemed to have an answer, with the last one coming in the form of a three-run 7^th inning to put Wesleyan up for good. They would add another insurance run in the 8^th and Murphy would close the door to secure their 6^th NESCAC victory. Wesleyan picks up the win on Senior Day and improves to 14-15 (6-4 NESCAC) on the year, while Hamilton falls to 17-12 (5-5 NESCAC).
 
HIGHLIGHTS:

• Hamilton opened with a leadoff double, working him over to third on a sacrifice bunt, before coming through with an RBI-groundout to get on the board first at 1-0. Wesleyan went without a hit the first time through their lineup, but Murphy matched Hamilton's Aiden Regan, and through three innings the score remained 1-0 in favor of the Continentals
• Wesleyan managed their first hit of the contest to open the 4^th, with Ernie Little '26 delivering an infield single to the shortstop. Regan responded by retiring the next two Cards bringing Dylan Judd '22 up to the plate with a runner on second base and two down. Judd came through on his senior day, punching one through the middle to score fellow graduate Kyle Sylvester '22 and the Cards tied it at 1-1. The Continentals refused to be tied for long, using a walk, stolen base, and single to score their 2^nd run of the game to give them a 2-1 advanatage heading into the bottom of the 6^th
• With the innings winding down, the Cards found the bats once again in the 7^th. After a strikeout to start the inning, Luke LaSaracina '25 and Evan Diaz '25 recorded back-to-back singles followed by a Jack Nally '24 walk, loading the bases with one down. A pitching change led to a strikeout and with two down, Cole Torino '24 worked another walk to bring home the tying run. Little then came to the plate, and not wanting the inning to end just yet, came through with a massive go-ahead two-run single up the middle to give Wesleyan the lead at 4-2
• Murphy worked out of some trouble in the 8^th, leaving two runners on to force the Continentals to their final three outs of the game. After two outs to open the bottom half, LaSaracina blasted a long home run over the left center field fence to give Murphy one more insurance run to work with in the final frame. The junior pitcher didn't need it, putting the Hamilton hitters down without a hit in the 9^th to secure a huge NESCAC victory for the Cards

 
NOTES:

• Murphy (9 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 6 K's) finishes off his 4^th win and first nine-inning complete game of the season
• The underclassman came up big for the Cards on Senior Day, with LaSaracina (2-for-4, HR, 2 R, RBI) and Little (2-for-4, 2 RBIs) each recording multiple hits in the contest. LaSaracina ripped his 3^rd home run of the year
• Wesleyan outhit the Continentals 7-5
• Wesleyan is now tied for 1^st in the NESCAC West with Middlebury at 6-4

 
UP NEXT:
Wesleyan will return to Dresser Diamond for a double-header to finish off their three-game series with Hamilton Saturday April 29^th. The first game will be played at 12 pm followed by game two at approximately 3 pm.