Hartford, Conn. – Jonathan Dennett (Great Neck, N.Y.) went 5-for-8 with three runs and a double to lead the visiting Wesleyan University Cardinals to an 8/6-6/4 doubleheader sweep against the Trinity College Bantams in the baseball regular-season finale for both teams this afternoon. Trinity closes the regular campaign at 21-17 and four straight losses, while the Cardinals finish the regular slate at 23-13-1. Both teams will be competing in the NESCAC Championship Tournament next weekend as the top-seeded representative of the NESCAC East (Trinity) and NESCAC West (Wesleyan) Divisions, respectively. The Cardinals are hosting the tournament, and Trinity is the defending league champion.
Wesleyan scored three times in the top of the first inning of the opener thanks to an RBI single by Sam Goodwin-Boyd (Florence, Mass.) and a two run double by Dennett. The Bantams got one run back on a single by senior captain OF Mike Rueger (Teaneck, N.J.), a catcher's interference, a walk, and a hit batsman, but the Cardinals answered with two more in the top of the fifth frame on a two-run double by Guy Davidson (New York, N.Y.). Three more Cardinal runs in the top of the seventh inning were answered by three by the Bantams in the bottom of the eighth inning to make the score, 8-6, heading into the final frame. Trinity sophomore Brian Wolfe (La Habra Heights, Calif.) delivered a pinch-hit single to start the bottom of the ninth, while classmate Kyle Decker (Simsbury, Conn.) and senior Evan Sternberg (Glen Ridge, N.J.) were both hit by pitches to load the bases. A Wesleyan error allowed two Bantam runners to score but the Cardinals turned a double play to end the game.
Wesleyan used a three-run ninth inning to secure the sweep, as Andrew Yin (Potomac, Md.) and Don Cimino (Westwood, N.J.) singled and Dennett walked to load the bases with none out and all three scored. Chris Bonti (Tampa, Fla.) scored Yin on a sacrifice fly, Davidson drove home Cimino with a single, and Ben Hoynes (Rhinebeck, N.Y.) doubled home Dennett. Trinity sophomore Scott Huley (Greenwich, Conn.) walked in the bottom of the ninth to put the tying run at the plate, but Sam Elias (Norwood, N.J.) got the final two outs on a fly ball and a strikeout to save the game for first-time winner Andrew Hove (Larkspur, Calif.). Trinity had come back from a 3-0 deficit with three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to take their only lead of the two games, 4-3. Senior OF Alex Almeida (Bridgeport, Conn.) singled to lead off the inning, and Huley walked. Almeida scored on an error, and senior captain 1B Joe Papa (Stoneham, Mass.) plated Huley on a sacrifice fly. A single by Rueger and an outfield error led to two more Bantam runs, but Hove entered the game and got the last two outs on a caught stealing and a ground ball.
Nick Cooney (Rehoboth, Mass.) got the win in the first game for Wesleyan, while junior RHP Peter Burrows (Floral Park, N.Y.) was the most effective pitcher of the day for Trinity with five innings of five-hit ball with just one unearned run allowed. Rueger had two hits in game one and Almeida had two hits in the nightcap for the Bantam offense. Yin was 3-for-5 in the second game for Wesleyan.