TUCSON, AZ. – It was a high-flying Saturday for the Wesleyan baseball team, picking up their first wins of the season in an evening doubleheader sweep of Crown College and Augsburg University. Downing Crown in their second meeting of the Spring Break trip, Wesleyan won 14-2 before a 13-3 nightcap victory over Augsburg gave way to the 27 total runs from the Kino Sports Complex.

After a weather delay pushed the Cardinals and Polar Bears game by an hour, the pair faced off for the second time of the trip to Tucson with the Cardinals getting an early leg up in the opening innings. Doubling to right field, Jack Carpenter '25 reached second and was advanced on a single by Tyler Cosgrove '25 out left. Carpenter earned the first run as Evan Diaz '25 bat a single to the right field. Cosgrove put the Cardinals up by two after two stolen bases placed him at third with Luke LaSaracina '25 up to bat, hitting a line drive to left field.

The Polars cut the score soon after, but the Cardinals took a five-run lead in the third inning with Ernie Little '26 leading the charge to a LaSaracina home run. Grounding a single to short stop, Little stole second and third base with Carpenter at the plate on an eventual walk. After advancing Carpenter to second, the Cardinals put two more on the board, Diaz doubling on a fly to right field to send Little and Carpenter home. Diaz reached home as LaSaracina homered to the Polars' right fielder to give the Cardinals a 6-1 lead.

Earning one more run in the third, the Polars now only sat in a four-run deficit, but the Cardinals ran for the fifth inning, scoring six. Hitting a line drive triple, Troy Ashkinos '28 was held up at third through two batters, scoring on a wild pitch before Jake Acker '27 was walked. Acker advanced on a passed ball but scored when James Marsden '27 singled out right. Marsden stole second, moving Marcus Jang '26 to third but it was Little's bunt that made room for Jang to score. Both Little and Marsden scored, Carpenter singling a ground ball to the mound. Carpenter brought the total runs to 12 on an error.

Ashkinos opened the sixth with a home run to left field. Ashkinos' homer was followed by the final run of the game, LaSaracina hitting a triple before Acker was able to send him home.
LaSaracina led the way with three RBI and two runs on three hits. Carpenter ran for three on two hits and two RBI.

David Tirrell '25 pitched five innings, earning the win as he struck out six batters while allowing only two runs. Joey Light Rake '25 closed the game, pitching two innings, striking out two.

Game two was another double-digit showing for the Cardinals as they faced Augsburg for the first game of their weekend series with the Auggies. The Cardinals saw three runs in the fourth inning, but it was Little who opened the scoring in the first. Doubling to center field on a fly, Little stole third and reached home on a single by Diaz. Diaz stole second, advancing on an error and put the Cardinals up by two on the next hit.

Connor Sullivan '26 scored his first run of the day in the second inning, tripling on a fly to left field with Acker following up with a single to send him home. Sullivan scored his second run at the top of the fourth, firing home after an advance to third on an error. Acker pushed the Cardinals' lead to five on Little's sacrificed fly. With Carpenter and Diaz on base, Jonah Timmons '27 homered to left field, giving the Cardinals seven-run lead.

The Auggies would score just two more runs before the Cardinals were able to bat another runner in in the eighth. Earning the double RBI on a double to right field, Carpenter had Christian Boudreau '25 and William Moore '26 on base, each advanced prior on a wild pitch. Carpenter earned his second run of the game, bringing his Saturday total to five runs as Timmon doubled out to center field.

LaSaracina and Acker were the final tallies of the night, LaSaracina reaching first on an error before settling at third when Boudreau was walked. Acker singled a ground ball, scoring with LaSaracina on Moore's line drive to right field.

Timmons totaled five RBI on the night homering on two hits. Jake Acker run for two on two hits. Tanner Mahon '27 earned the win, pitching six innings. Mahon struck out 10, allowing two runs. Cole Perkin '28 saw action in two innings behind Mahon with six strikeouts, allowing one run and one hit.

The Cardinals will face Augsburg again on Sunday afternoon, March 16, with action beginning at 3:30 p.m. EST.