Wesleyan (Conn.) earned the NESCAC's automatic berth into the NCAA playoffs. Wesleyan athletics photo

MEDFORD - Wesleyan built a 6-0 lead and then survived a Tufts comeback in the late innings as the Cardinals won their first NESCAC Baseball Championship with a 6-4 victory over the Jumbos at Huskins Field on Sunday afternoon.

The Cardinals were cruising along until wild pitching in the eighth and ninth innings allowed the Jumbos to get back in it. Tufts had the go-ahead run at the plate in the eighth and the tying run at the plate in the ninth. Wesleyan sophomore Gavin Pittore, on in relief, recorded the final three outs in the ninth to save the game for the Cardinals.

Wesleyan (27-11) earns the NESCAC's automatic berth into the NCAA Championship. The tournament field will be announced tonight. Tufts (33-7) will await a possible at-large invitation into the NCAA field.

Tufts had stayed alive in the NESCAC tournament with a 10-0 victory over Wesleyan earlier on Sunday. In the second and decisive game of the day, junior CF Donnie Cimino and junior RF Jonathan Dennett both had a pair of rbis and the Cardinals took a 6-0 lead.

Wesleyan had scored first on a double by sophomore SS Guy Davidson followed by a passed ball and then an rbi single from freshman 3B Ellis Schaefer. They increased the margin to 2-0 when junior 1B Sam Goodwin-Boyd launched a tremendous home run to center field to lead off the fourth.

Cimino's rbi single and a two-run base hit by Dennett in the fifth pushed Wesleyan ahead 5-0. The taste of victory became even greater when they scored without a hit in the seventh to lead 6-0.

Meanwhile, Cardinals senior starter Chris Law had been sensational holding the Jumbos to three hits and no runs through five innings. He was lifted in the sixth after back-to-back singles by Jumbo junior LF Nick Barker and freshman 2B Tom Petry. With senior Jeff Blout on in relief, the Cardinals got out of the inning unscathed as Cimino made a nice running catch on a ball over his head in center field and Goodwin-Boyd had an even better grab of a foul ball over by the Tufts dugout.

After Blout walked Jumbo pinch-hitter Tim Mitropoulos in the eighth, that's when Wesleyan's trouble began. Goodwin-Boyd was brought on in relief and couldn't find the plate, walking three and hitting a batter. That allowed Tufts to score twice. When Cardinals reliever Nick Cooney hit Tufts SS shortstop Matt Moser with a pitch, Tufts had three runs in the inning without a hit. However, Cooney was able to get a foul out to end the frame.

The drama continued into the bottom of the ninth. Jumbo junior catcher Bryan Egan was hit by a pitch to lead off, the fifth hit-batter of the game for Tufts. After Cooney walked Barker, he got a strikeout before Tufts junior CF Connor McDavitt singled to center making it 6-4. With runners on first and second and two outs, Pittore got a ground ball to junior 2B Andrew Yin who worked a force out with Davidson at second to clinch the championship for Wesleyan.

The Cardinals finished with nine hits, two each by Cimino and Schaefer. Junior DH Matt Sorkin scored twice. Law got the win (3-2), while Blout went two innings allowing no hits and a run. Cardinal pitching allowed just four hits.

Sophomore Andrew David started and took the loss (4-3) for Tufts, giving up five hits and two runs in three innings. Junior Tom Ryan was solid in late relief, holding the Cardinals hitless and scoreless in 1.2 innings.