CLERMONT, Fla. – The Wesleyan softball team opened the 2025 campaign with a pair of dominant wins down in Florida, defeating Washington College (Maryland) 8-0 in five innings and Regis 10-2 also in five innings. The pair of mercy rule wins moves the Cardinals to 2-0 on the season, having outscored the two teams 18-2 in just 10 innings.
 
Making her debut in the black and red, graduate transfer Abby Orso G'25 shined on debut as she tossed a three-hit shutout with no walks and eight strikeouts in five innings against Washington College. The two-time All-NESCAC First Team pitcher allowed just four baserunners in five innings while she also contributed offensively, reaching base in all three plate appearances, going 2-for-2 with one home run, two runs scored, and one stolen base with one walk.
 
After Orso stranded a runner on second base in the top of the 1^st inning, Wesleyan batted around in the bottom half, plating five runs on three hits. The first three batters all reached base safely, setting up Isabella Secaira-Cotto '25 who plated Molly Lennon '26 from third on a sacrifice fly to center. Orso then walked to load the bases again for Waverly Smart '27 who hit an RBI groundout back to the pitcher. With two outs, Kelly Baker '26 knocked in two with a single to center and then later came in as Lizzie Marino '25 had a two-out RBI single to right as Wesleyan took a 5-0 lead.
 
The Cardinals manufactured a run in the 2^nd, with Rebecca Cassel-Siskind '26 leading off with a bunt single before stealing second, then advancing to third on an Orso infield single. With two outs, Orso stole second and Cassel-Siskind darted for home on the play, executing a perfect double steal to add another run.
 
As Orso continued to mow through the Washington College lineup, the 4^th saw a two-homer inning for Wesleyan as Cassel-Siskind led off with her first career home run and Orso helped her own cause with two outs, hitting one out of the park for her fourth career homer to make it 8-0 Cardinals.
 
Orso finished off the game despite a leadoff single and error in the field, as the runner advanced to second with no outs, only to see Orso retire the next three batters to hand Wesleyan a season-opening 8-0 win.
 
Cassel-Siskind went 3-for-3 with two stolen bases and three runs scored while Marino went 2-for-2 in the win.
 
Quickly shifting fields to game two, Wesleyan took on Regis and escaped danger in the 1^st inning as Secaira-Cotto faced two runs in scoring position with one out but the senior bore down and struck out the next two batters to keep the game scoreless.
 
Wesleyan took an early lead in the 2^nd inning as a wild pitch saw Smart score from second and an error later in the frame brought in another to make it 2-0 Cardinals after two.
 
Nicole Celi '27 came through with a clutch two-out two-run single to center field in the 3^rd inning, plating Orso and Cat Palmer '26 on the play to hand the Cardinals a 4-0 lead.
 
After Regis struck back with two runs in the bottom of the 3^rd, Wesleyan broke the game open with a three-run 4^th inning, with all three runs coming with two outs. Cassel-Siskind started with a single to left before Palmer knocked an RBI double to left. Then in what was her first collegiate at-bat, Jacelyn Lees '28 hit her first career home run to make it 7-2 Wesleyan.
 
Lees then worked a scoreless bottom of the 4^th inning in relief of Secaira-Cotto, before Wesleyan plated three more runs in the 5^th inning to make it an eight-run game. Marino had an RBI single to right while Lennon doubled to right to score Marino. Then Palmer came through with a run-scoring suicide squeeze play to hand the Cardinals a 10-2 lead.
 
Needing three more outs to close out the win by mercy rule, Lees came through with a 1-2-3 bottom of the 5^th to clinch another win for Wesleyan.
 
Seven Cardinals had at least one hit in the win over Regis. Orso and Lennon both went 2-for-3 at the plate while Palmer, Lees, and Celi each had 2 RBI. Secaira-Cotto picked up the win going three innings with five strikeouts and no walks with just one earned run allowed. Lees was dominant in relief, throwing two innings of one-hit ball with three strikeouts and no walks.
 
In 10 total innings between the two games, Orso, Secaira-Cotto, and Lees combined for no walks.
 
Wesleyan is back in action on Wednesday with two games in the morning against Montclair State (9 AM) and North Central (11:30 AM).