BRUNSWICK, Me. – The Wesleyan softball team opened NESCAC play with a Saturday afternoon split at Bowdoin, losing in game 1 by a score of 10-1 in five innings, before responding with a thrilling 13-12 win in game 2. The Cardinals are 7-6 (1-1 NESCAC) on the season while the Polar Bears move to 11-2 (1-1 NESCAC).
 
Bowdoin dominated all facets of game one, plating 10 runs on 13 hits with four-run innings in both the 1^st and 2^nd to set the tone. The Polar Bears added two more in the 3^rd to make a commanding 10-0 lead. Waverly Smart '27 plated the lone Wesleyan run with an RBI fielder's choice play in the 4^th.
 
Game two was a different story as the Cardinal bats came alive, with Wesleyan recording 18 hits and 13 runs. The 18 hits are the most by Wesleyan in a game since 2022 while the 13 runs are the most for the Cardinals since 2017.
 
Bowdoin kept the momentum going from game one at the plate, scoring twice in the 1^st and once more in the 2^nd to lead 3-0. Smart drove in the first Wesleyan run on a sacrifice fly in the 3^rd, only to see Bowdoin restore a three-run lead with one run in the 4^th.
 
The game flipped in the 5^th when Wesleyan scored eight runs on nine hits, bringing 13 batters to the plate in the half inning. Jacelyn Lees '28 plated Rebecca Cassel-Siskind '26 from third on a sacrifice fly to open the scoring. Whitney Gigante '28 later came through with a two-run single out to left with the bases loaded to tie the score at 4-4. Naomi Tesoriere '29 hit an RBI single out to right and Kelly Baker '26 hit a sacrifice fly out to right.
 
The 5^th inning continued with Molly Lennon '26 lofting a two-run bomb out to center field for her third home run of the season. An error on a Cassel-Siskind at-bat extended the inning, then Cat Palmer '26 singled through the left side and Lees came through with an RBI single out to center and Wesleyan led 9-4.
 
Incredibly, Bowdoin hit right back in the bottom of the 5^th with five runs on five hits. The Polar Bears sent all nine batters to the plate in the inning while all five runs were scored with two outs in the frame.
 
Baker made it 10-9 Wesleyan in the 6^th as she singled out to center to score Katie Foley '28 from third. Bowdoin then hit back with a two-run bottom of the 6^th, taking a 11-10 lead into the 7^th.
 
In that decisive inning, Wesleyan saw the first two batters of the frame retired on just three pitches. Foley kept the Cardinals alive with a two-out single, setting the stage for Gigante who fought off a two-strike count twice before delivering with a game-tying RBI double to left. Nicole Celi '27 stepped up to the plate and knocked an RBI double to right center then Baker did the same with an RBI double to center to spot the Cardinals a 13-11 lead.
 
Bowdoin did not go away quietly, drawing a leadoff walk then a single out to center. With two runners on and no one out, Ella DeCrescenzo '27 bore down and induced a groundout back to the circle before another groundout to short plated a run from third. On the throw from short to first, Sammie Wright made a break for third base, but she was forced into a rundown with the tag being applied by Baker to secure the 13-12 win for the Cardinals in game two.
 
Six Cardinals recorded multi-hit games including three-hit games for Palmer and Foley. Gigante went 2-for-5 with one double, three RBI, and two runs. Celi finished 2-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI. Baker went 2-for-3 with three RBI and Palmer finished 3-for-4.
 
Wesleyan has a full week to prepare for a NESCAC home weekend as the Cardinals take on Tufts on Saturday in a doubleheader starting at 1 PM before hosting Hamilton on Sunday starting at Noon.