Wesleyan University’s Susan Pardo pitched a complete game three-hitter and the Cardinals edged Hamilton College 3-2 in a NESCAC West Division game played in Middletown, Conn., on March 30.
The Cardinals (13-3 overall, 3-0 NESCAC West) stretched its win streak to 12 games, which tied the team record. The three-game weekend series was moved from Hamilton to Connecticut because the Continentals' field was unplayable. Hamilton batted in the home half of the inning.
Ashley McLaren and Lexi Parr collected two hits apiece, and McLaren drove in a run. Allee Beatty and Matti Peters finished with one hit and one RBI apiece.
Sam Miller '14 hit a home run and a double and drove in a pair of runs. Kelly Leonard '15 (2-7) allowed three runs on eight hits and stuck out four in 6.2 innings.
Miller gave Hamilton a 1-0 lead with her first home run this year to left field in the bottom of the second. Wesleyan responded with a run in the third. Parr led off the inning with a double to center and scored on McLaren’s single to left field.
Leonard and Pardo both settled down as neither allowed another hit until the final inning. Hamilton threatened to take the lead in the fourth as the Continentals had runners on second and third with one out, but Pardo got out of the inning unscathed.
The Cardinals tallied two runs in the top of seventh and took a 3-1 lead. Tori Redding started the inning with a single and advanced to second on a ground out. With two outs, Peters’ single up the middle plated Redding. After Parr singled, Beatty hit a double to center that scored the pinch runner.
Hamilton (4-11, 0-3) didn’t back down as the Continentals scored once in the seventh and left the tying run at third base. Olivia Gozdz '16 led off the inning with a double to center and came around to score on Miller’s double. Melissa Kaknis '13 grounded out and moved Miller to third with only one out. But Pardo struck out the next two batters and closed out the victory.
The Continentals return to campus for a non-conference twinbill against SUNY Institute of Technology on Tuesday, April 2.
