Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
WILLIAMSTOWN, MA. — Matt Berdoff and Jimmy Ray combined for four shutout innings of relief in the nightcap, and senior captain Harry Marino fanned a career-high 11 batters in the opener Saturday as the Williams College baseball team swept Little 3 rival Wesleyan at Bobby Coombs Field, 7-1 and 5-3.
The wins move the Ephs to 8-14 overall, 3-5 in the NESCAC's West Division, while Wesleyan fell to 13-11 overall, 3-2 in the West. The two teams meet again Sunday in Middletown for the rubber match of the three-game set. Game time is 1 p.m.
Marino set the tone for the day in the first inning of the opener, striking out two. He fanned two more in the second, then struck out the side in the third — stranding Cardinals at first and second in the process — before fanning two more in the fourth.
Williams broke the scoreless duel open in its third with four runs off Wesleyan starter Brett Yarusi. Senior Ben Oliva led off with a single and was sacrificed to second by K.C. Murphy. Stephen Maier singled to center, moving Olivia to third, before Darren Hartwell grounded a single into right field for a 1-0 Eph lead. Taylor Mondshein kept his hot bat going with a two-run triple into the right-center field gap, and he scored when Matt Kastner belted a sacrifice fly to center.
Wesleyan got back into it by plating a run off Marino in the fifth. Steve Moran and Kyle Weiss led off with singles and pulled off a double steal as Marino recorded his 10th strikeout of the game. Donnie Cimino plated Moran with a sac fly to left, but Marino escaped further damage when Murphy made a sensational diving stop of a Joe Giaimo one-hop liner ticketed for right field and flipped to the hurler for the final out.
The Ephs put the game away with three runs in the bottom of the sixth. Cameron Susk singled with one out and scored when first year Luke Pierce ripped a triple down the right-field line. Phil McGovern then singled up the middle to score Pierce, movimg to second and scored when Murphy lined a single to right with two outs.
Marino improved to 2-2 on the season, allowing four hits over seven innings — the first game was a scheduled seven-inning affair — while walking three and striking out 11. Yarusi also went the distance for Wesleyan, allowing 10 hits and seven runs, all earned, while walking no one and striking out one.
At the plate, both Susk and Pierce went 2 for 3 for the Ephs. Mondsehin was 1 for 2 with two RBI. For the Cardinals, Moran was 2 for 3 with a run scored and Weiss was 2 for 4.
It was Wesleyan that came out on fire in the second game, plating three runs in the top of the first off Williams starter Tom Murphy. Weiss led off the game with a single to center. An error put another runner on before Cimino loaded the bases with a single. Giaimo lined a single to right for a 1-0 lead before Chris Bonti's fielder's choice plated the second run. With two outs, Alex Meadow's grounder snuck through the left side to score Giaimo with the third run.
The Cardinals would have more chances to score, but could not. Murphy tossed four straight shutout innings before Berdoff relieved him in the top of the sixth. Ray came on with two outs in the eighth and runners on first and third and retired the final four batters for his second save.
Meanwhile, the Ephs chipped away at the Wesleyan lead. Cardinal starter Mike Barsotti was outstanding through four, allowing four hits but no runs. In the Williams fifth, Murphy led off with a single and took second on a wild pitch. He was on third with two outs when Mondshein smacked a hard grounder back through the box for an RBI-single.
Williams tied it in its sixth when Barsotti sandwiched two outs around two hits batsmen. Murphy hit a two-out single to center to score Pierce, and Maier followed with a clutch single up the middle to make it a 3-3 game.
The Ephs took the lead for good in the seventh. Mondshein singled and hustled to second on a passed ball. With one out, Susk lined a single to right that scored the go-ahead run, although he was thrown out at second on the play.
Wesleyan threatened in the top of the eighth when Moran doubled down the left-field line with two outs and took third on a wild pitch. Weiss drew a walk to place runners on the corners, but Ray relieved Berdoff and got pinch-hitter Jake Skinner to ground into a force play at second.
The Ephs picked up an insurance run in the eighth when Oliva drew a one-out walk and came around to score on a wild pitch. Ray retired the Cardinals in order in the ninth to end the contest.
Giaimo was 4 for 5 for Wesleyan, which had 10 hits. Weiss was 2 for 3 with a run scored. Murphy was 3 for 4 for the Ephs — 4 for 6 on the day — while Susk, Maier, Mondshein and Phil McGovern each had two hits.
