HARTFORD, CT. - After several days of rain forced a venue change north to Hartford, the Wesleyan University baseball team made the most of another road matchup as bats were hot in a 14-9 defeat of the University of Hartford, led by junior catcher
Jake Acker '27 with four runs from Fiondella Field.
With much help from freshman pitcher
Conor Humowiecki '29 and Hartford's Logan Smalley, not a run reached the board until the bottom the third inning when the Hawk's reached a one-run lead over the Cardinals following a homerun nailed by John Russell.
The lead was short lived with the Hawks making a pitching change with the Cardinals opening the fourth. Acker reached on a ball to left field, leading the charge for
Kato Mangum '28 and
Oliver Kwan '28 to load the bases.
Sam Suniewick's '29 hit down the middle left enough room for both Acker and Mangum to give the Cardinals the lead.
William Moore '26 walked at the start of the fifth, eventually reaching third on a wild pitch with
Jonah Timmons '27 on his heels at second. Moore advanced home with
Sam Hensinger '26 at the plate before Acker took a hit from the mound to progress to first. Mangum bit a double to left field, sending Hensinger and Timmons home with Acker at third. Acker scored the final run of the inning as Suniewick was walked by the Hawks, pressing the Cardinals to a 6-1 lead.
The Hawks plated runs in the fifth and the six but still could not catch the Cardinals before Acker homered to center field to lead off the seventh inning. Putting a single to the right fielder on his own attempt, Mangum went on to score with Kwan putting another single out right. The Hawks jumped within three runs at the bottom of the inning with little care from the Cardinals.
Kicking off the following inning with his own home run,
James Marsden '26 ripped a ball to left field after another pitching change. Hensinger stole third base with Acker right behind him to steal second, both returning runs on a single from Kwan down the left line.
Mirroring the eighth inning,
Sebastian Ortiz '28 hit a home run on the first as the first batter of the final outing. Moore and Marsden hit third and second on a wild pitch and plated the final runs of the game with Timmons sending a ball down the middle. The Hawks answered, scoring four closing runs while finishing with just nine overall to the Cardinals' 14.
Humowiecki earns the win, pitching four innings as he dropped just one run while striking out six batters and walking two. Marsden, the fourth pitcher of the day, pitched just over one inning and did not allow a run while he three batters on his own.
The Cardinals return to action on Friday, March 27, when they face Amherst on the road at 4 p.m. in the first NESCAC match up of the season.
