Jill Gately drove in five runs in Game 1, and Sam Epstein homered twice in Game 2 to lead Wesleyan University to a sweep over Hamilton College in a NESCAC West Division doubleheader in Middletown, Conn., on April 1.
Wesleyan (7-10 overall, 3-0 NESCAC West) took the first game, 10-2 in six innings, and won 9-1 in the five-inning nightcap. The Cardinals have won 19 straight games against the Continentals.
In the opener, Gately finished a single short of the cycle for the Cardinals. Epstein added two hits, including a double, and drove in two runs. Tori Redding and Dana Levy each finished with a single and a double, and Ashley McLaren smacked a triple. Starting pitcher Levy scattered four hits and allowed two earned runs over six innings of work. She walked two batters and struck out three.
Sam Miller '14 led the Continentals offensively with her fourth home run in five games. Ashley Perritt '14, Cara Vennari '12 and Monique St. Jarre '15 had the other Hamilton hits. Kelly Leonard '15 started in the circle and took the loss.
Wesleyan jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Allee Beatty led off with an infield single and one batter later, Gately's blast to left field put the Cardinals ahead.
Wesleyan scored two more runs in the bottom of the third inning. With one out, Redding singled and later scored on Gately's triple. Epstein followed with an RBI double to give the Cardinals a 4-0 lead. Wesleyan added two more runs in the bottom of the next inning.
Hamilton (5-10, 0-3) responded with two runs in the top of the sixth inning. Perritt led off with a single up the middle and one batter later, Miller homered to left field to cut the deficit to 6-2. The Cardinals ended the game with four runs in the bottom half of the inning.
In Game 2, Epstein finished with five runs batted in. McLaren was a perfect 3-for-3 and Beatty, Gately and Chrissy Bello each finished with two hits. Starting pitcher Haylee Reidy scattered four hits over five innings. Reidy walked three batters and struck out four.
Perritt paced the Continentals' offense with a pair of singles. Amy Appel '13 smacked an RBI double and Jenn Rougeux '14 had the other hit. Appel started in the circle and was saddled with the loss.
Wesleyan jumped out to an early lead again with three runs in the bottom of the first inning, followed by three more in the second. Beatty led off the first with a single, Redding walked and Epstein followed with a three-run blast to center field.
Beatty singled again in the second inning and later came around to score on an RBI single by Gately. Epstein connected for the second time to give the Cardinals a 6-0 lead after two.
Hamilton cut its deficit to 6-1 in the top of the fourth inning. With one out, Melissa Kaknis '13 walked, and one batter later came around to score on Appel's double to left center. Wesleyan pushed across three more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning and held the Continentals scoreless in the top of the fifth to seal the victory.
Hamilton travels to SUNY Institute of Technology for a non-conference doubleheader on Tuesday, April 3, at 3:30 p.m.
