TUCSON, AZ. – Seven runs in the third inning was enough for the Wesleyan baseball team to jump Macalester College for a Thursday afternoon win, going 11-7 in non-conference action in the 10^th game of the annual Spring Break trip from the Kino Sports Complex.

Leading the Cardinals out in the first inning to get on the board, Jack Carpenter '25 walked on his first at bat of the day, advancing with Evan Diaz '25 singling on the next play. Doubling as the fourth man in the lineup, Jonah Timmons '27 created enough room for Carpenter to make his way home. Diaz gave the Cardinals a two-run lead on a ground out the short stop from Jake Acker '27. Macalester cut the score to just one run, tripling before a wild pitch from Cole Perkin '28 gave them the run.

Diaz was the catalyst for the hit fest in the third inning, scoring his second run of the game as Acker's single sent him home after doubling on the first play of the inning. Luke LaSaracina's '25 single placed Acker on third, Acker's run scored as Marcus Jang '26 doubled. With bases loaded as Troy Ashkinos '28 was walked, Vinny Roman '26 earned the double RBI on an error at second base, Jang and LaSaracina making the dash for home.

With three more runs to go in the inning, Roman stole second prior to Ernie Little's '26 single to the left fielder, putting Ashkinos at home plate for a seventh run. Stealing second, Little placed the Cardinals in prime position for Carpenter's double, giving the Cardinals a 9-1 lead at the top of the third. Ray McCaskey homered for Macalester on the first at bat, to end the inning 9-2.

Neither team would score again until the top of the seventh with the Cardinals once again the first to tally a run. Through the next three innings, Perkin struck out eight batters.

Jang's second run of the game put the Cardinals in double digits, singling to left field before stealing second with Ashkinos up to bat. Singling a ground ball to the shortstop, Ashkinos pushed Jang to third, but it was an error by first base that gave him the run. Ashkinos was the final run of the night for the Cardinals, finishing to home on Little's line drive to left field.

Lucca Frattone '27 opened the bottom of the seventh in place of Perkin on the mound, but after three runs by Macalester, Joey Light Rake '25 relieved to close out the final innings. Macalester scored one more run prior to the bottom of the ninth, putting up two more runs as Holden Peacock tripled for Nathan Gumagay before scoring on his own.

Light Rake finished the game with four strike outs while allowing two runs and five hits. Perkin earned the win, pitching six innings with 11 total strike outs. Perkin allowed two runs.
Jang led the way on the offense with two runs, marking three hits and an RBI. Vinny's three RBI was the most for a Cardinal on the night.

The Cardinals return to action on Friday, March 21, facing Macalester and Hamline for a second time in a doubleheader beginning with Macalester at 1 p.m. EST and Hamline at 4 p.m. EST.