MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – One day removed from being swept in their home opener, the Wesleyan softball team bounced back in a big way on Sunday in a doubleheader sweep of Hamilton. The Cardinals landed a convincing 8-2 win in game one before turning in a stellar defensive performance in a 3-1 win in game two. Wesleyan (9-8, 3-3 NESCAC) lands a pair of crucial league wins while Hamilton (5-11, 0-4 NESCAC) remains winless in league play.
 
Wesleyan struck first in game one with a three-run 1^st inning as the first four batters of the frame all reached base safely, with Jacelyn Lees '28 knocking an RBI single out to left for the first run of the contest. Jordynn Killion '27 lifted a sacrifice fly out to center for another run and Rebecca Cassel-Siskind '26 singled home another with two outs.
 
Hamilton got one run back in the 2^nd inning and then another in the 3^rd but the damage was limited in the 3^rd inning as Whitney Gigante '28 entered in relief and got a strikeout to end the frame with two Hamilton baserunners in scoring position.
 
Wesleyan found an answer in the bottom of the 3^rd as the bases were loaded with no one out before Cassel-Siskind walked in one run, Gigante hit a sacrifice fly out to right, and a third run came in on a passed ball to make it 6-2 Wesleyan after three.
 
The Cardinals tacked on two more in the 4^th when Molly Lennon '26 led off with a triple out to right field then she came around to score on a Cat Palmer '26 bunt single back to the circle. Kelly Baker '26 came through with a one-run double out to deep center field that pushed the Cardinals out in front 8-2.
 
Gigante battled on the circle throughout the rest of the contest, leaving the bases loaded with back-to-back outs including a strikeout and foul out to third. After a 1-2-3 7^th inning, Gigante again saw Hamilton load the bases with one out only to see Gigante strike out a bater and induce a game-ending fielder's choice out.
 
Palmer (3-for-4, one RBI, two runs), Baker (2-for-2, one walk, one double, one RBI, one run), and Lennon (2-for-3, one triple, two runs) each finished with a multi-hit game.
 
Gigante picked up her first career save in the win, going 4.1 shutout innings in relief, holding Hamilton to just three hits with two walks and a career-high six strikeouts.
 
Game two saw Wesleyan plate one run in the 1^st and never look back as the Cardinals didn't trail in any inning against Hamilton on the day. Hamilton was plagued by three errors in the 1^st, allowing one run to come in and score.
 
The Cardinal starting pitcher for game two, Ella DeCrescenzo '27, started the game retiring the first six batters she faced. She kept her no-hitter intact through three innings and kept her nerve throughout as she allowed just four hits and two walks in her first career complete game.
 
Wesleyan plated two key insurance runs in the 6^th as DeCrescenzo helped her own cause with a one-out one-run triple to make it 2-0 Cardinals. Then Nicole Celi '27 stepped to the plate and sent a grounder to second base where the fielder had one choice, throw to first for the out, but allow the run to score on the play.
 
Hamilton made a last-ditch attempt to get back in the game as the first two batters in the 7^th both singled. Then a grounder to Lennon at second was quickly flipped to Waverly Smart '27 covering the bag who threw down to Palmer at first for a significant double play. The next batter sent an RBI single out to left, but the game ended on a groundout to first in the next at-bat.
 
Wesleyan completes its six-game homestand on Tuesday with a doubleheader against Coast Guard that starts at 3 PM.