HARTFORD, Conn. – Outscoring the Ephs 34-1 combined on the day, the Wesleyan baseball team landed a pair of massive wins over their Little Three rivals on Saturday from DiBenedetto Stadium on the campus of Trinity College. Wesleyan (15-3, 4-1 NESCAC West) trounced Williams (5-11, 0-2 NESCAC West) 21-1 in game one and 13-0 in game two, securing at least a share of the 2024 Little Three title.
 
In 309 all-time meetings between the two teams, Wesleyan's 21-1 victory in game one makes history as the largest win in team history over the Ephs. In addition, Wesleyan's 23 hits in that contest is the most for the Cardinals in any contest since 2018 and the highest single-game total against a NESCAC opponent since 2016.
 
Wesleyan's game one win was a relentless display as the Cardinals amassed 23 hits in the seven-inning contest compared to just two for Williams. The Ephs also committed four errors in the game while the Cardinals had none.
 
A five-run 1^st inning set the tone with Evan Diaz '25 doubling down the left field line to plate Ernie Little '26. After two runs came in on errors, Luke LaSaracina '25 hit a two-run bomb over the right field fence for his second home run of the season that made it 5-0 Wesleyan.
 
Tyler Cosgrove '25 knocked an RBI single to left in the 2^nd inning before three more runs came across in the 3^rd. Little stepped to the box and drove in two with a double to left field and Diaz added another with an RBI single to right that made it 9-0 Cardinals.
 
The Ephs scored their first and only run of the game in the bottom of the 3^rd but the Cardinals answered back with a four-run 4^th inning. Jack Carpenter '25 ripped a double to right center that scored James Marsden '26 from first base. LaSaracina followed with an RBI single to center and Cole Torino '24 had a two-run two-out triple to right center as the Cardinals opened a double-digit lead at 13-1.
 
With the game already in-hand, Wesleyan put it to bed with a six-run 5^th inning as the Cardinals batted around. Five straight singles opened the inning, with the last two being RBI base hits from LaSaracina and Jack Nally '24. Matt Halas '24 was hit-by-a-pitch and Little singled through the left side as the first seven batters of the inning all reached base. Torino had an RBI groundout to first and Connor Sullivan '26 finished the scoring with a run-scoring single to left field.
 
Both benches emptied late and Marcus Jang '26 came through with a two-out two-run triple to right center that gave Wesleyan the 21-1 lead.
 
Every Cardinal in the starting lineup finished with at least one hit. LaSaracina led the way, going 4-for-5 with one homer, 4 RBI, and two runs. Nally and Marsden both went 3-for-4 while Diaz finished 3-for-5 with two doubles, 2 RBI, three runs, and two stolen bases. Little, Sullivan, and Carpenter all had two-hit games.
 
On the mound, Patrick Murphy '24 picked up another win to move to 4-0 on the season. The senior went five innings allowing just two hits and one run while striking out three. Dariusz Lukowski '27 entered in the 6^th inning and threw two scoreless innings with no hits and two strikeouts.
 
Game two saw AJ Karabenick '24 continue to dominate NESCAC competition as he went eight innings, allowing just three hits and two walks with six strikeouts to pick up the win and move to 3-0 on the season. Karabenick retired the first six and last seven batters he faced in the game. He allowed just two base runners to reach second base all game in a dominant showing.
 
The Cardinals managed another stellar showing at the plate, amassing 13 runs on 18 hits while Wesleyan had no errors again, going 16 innings on Saturday without a miscue in the field.
 
Wesleyan took the lead in their first at-bats with Diaz homering for the third time this season, lifting a solo shot out to right. It was then 2-0 Cardinals after manufacturing a run in the 2^nd inning. Sullivan led off with an infield single, stole second, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt from Nally, and then came home on another sacrifice bunt, this time from Halas.
 
Williams threatened in the 3^rd when the first two batters reached, but Karabenick picked off the runner at second and got the next two batters to ground out and fly out to end the inning.
 
The Cardinals extended their lead to 4-0 in the 5^th as Torino singled and Diaz drove him home on a triple to right center. Marsden later plated Diaz on a sacrifice fly to shallow left.
 
It was then 6-0 Cardinals in the 6^th as back-to-back walks opened the inning followed by Torino's sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position. Diaz was intentionally walked and two runs came in on a Carpenter fielder's choice RBI that led to a throwing error, allowing Little to score from second.
 
Karabenick continued to mow through the Williams lineup before a six-run 9^th inning for the Cardinals put the game away. Eleven Cardinal batters stepped into the box in the frame, starting with LaSaracina who walked. Nally then doubled to left center and Halas singled to left to score one. Torino drove in another on a sacrifice fly to center and Diaz drove in two on another extra-base hit, this time to center, that opened a 11-0 lead.  Declan Semler '27 pinch hit and singled in his first career at-bat, driving in Diaz from third, while LaSaracina finished off the scoring with an RBI single to center.
 
Ian Appleby '24 entered at the start of the 9^th for Karabenick and threw a scoreless inning of relief with consecutive strikeouts to end the game.
 
Diaz had a monster outing in game two, going 3-for-5 with two triples, one home run, 4 RBI, four runs, and one walk. Torino and LaSaracina went 3-for-4 with 1 RBI while Sullivan went 3-for-6 and Marsden finished 2-for-4 with 2 RBI.
 
The Cardinals return home for one nine-inning contest on Sunday from Dresser Diamond against the Ephs. A win over Williams in that game would clinch the outright Little Three title for Wesleyan for the second time in three seasons.