DANBURY, Conn. – With the score tied 3-3 after five innings, the Wesleyan baseball team exploded for 16 unanswered runs in the final four innings to defeat the Wolves, 19-3, on Wednesday night from Westside Field. Wesleyan (21-7) bounces back following yesterday's home defeat to Union and hand WestConn (5-23) their eighth loss in the last nine games.
 
A promising start saw the Cardinals lead 3-0 after two innings, with Evan Diaz '25 smacking a solo shot over the fence out in left center field in the 1^st inning while Jake Acker '27 singled home a run in the 2^nd as the first-year was just getting started on his monster day in what was his first career start.
 
WestConn pulled two runs back in the 4^th inning and added another in the 5^th to tie the score at 3 apiece. This, however, would be as close as the Wolves would get to the lead as the Cardinals batted around in the 6^th, scoring five runs to take an 8-3 lead. After Luke LaSaracina '25 drove in a run on a sacrifice fly, Acker stepped to the plate and crushed a two-run shot out to left. Later in the frame, with the bases loaded, Diaz plated two on a double down the left field line.
 
Three extra-base hits in the 7^th inning led to three more Cardinal runs as LaSaracina doubled with one out before coming around to score on an Acker RBI double. With two outs, Jack Nally '24 stepped to the plate and tripled to drive in another run before Ernie Little '26 cashed in with an RBI single to make it 11-3 Wesleyan.
 
Three more runs came across in the 8^th inning, two of which on consecutive bases loaded walks, to give the Cardinals a 14-3 advantage. Then five more runs came in to score in the 9^th as Matt Halas '24 drove in two on a single before Will Moore '27 plated another with an infield single and Marcus Jang '26 finished the scoring with an RBI double.
 
Combined with the 19-run display by the Cardinal offense was a stellar pitching performance from three Wesleyan pitchers as Joey Light-Rake '25, Tanner Mahon '27, and Derek Jann '24 combined to allow just eight hits with no earned runs in the nine-inning contest.
 
Light-Rake went three innings in the start, allowing three hits with two unearned runs. Mahon entered in the 4^th inning and pitched a gem, going five innings with no walks, four hits allowed, one unearned run, and three strikeouts. Jann finished the job with a scoreless 9^th inning wherein he recorded three strikeouts.

Several standout performances led the offense, none bigger than Acker who went 3-for-4 with one home run, one double, 4 RBI, two walks, and four runs scored in his first career start as a Cardinal.
 
Halas finished 2-for-4 with one walk, 2 RBI, and two runs. LaSaracina went 2-for-3 with one double, 2 RBI, and three runs while James Marsden '26 finished 2-for-4 with one double and three runs. Diaz hit his fifth homer of the season as he went 2-for-6 with 3 RBI.
 
The Cardinals enjoy an off day on Thursday before hosting Middlebury for a crucial weekend NESCAC West Division series that begins on Friday at 4 PM from Dresser Diamond.