Continentals finish home season with loss to Wesleyan

Recap, photo courtesy of Hamilton College

The Hamilton College baseball team wrapped up its home season Sunday, dropping the finale of a three-game NESCAC West Division series to visiting Wesleyan University at Royce Field. The Cardinals, who are receiving votes in both national polls, won the rubber game of the series 15-6.

The Continentals, who rank among the national leaders in batting average (ninth, .346) and on-base percentage (second, .440), pounded out 16 hits, including a pair of home runs. They held leads of 3-1 and 4-3 before Wesleyan scored nine runs over the fifth and sixth innings to take the lead for good.

Wesleyan improved to 18-9 overall and 5-4 in division play. The Continentals are now 14-11 with a
3-6 division mark.

Brett Mele '17 and David Rose '16 – two of seven Continentals with multiple hits – both hit home runs. Mele's third of the year was a three-run shot in the first to give the hosts an early 3-0 lead. Rose hit his second in as many days down the left field line in the seventh.

The Cardinals tied the score at 3-3 in the top of the fourth before the Continentals took their last lead in the bottom of the inning. Dean Rosenberg '18 walked and singles by Brian Ferrell '16 and Ryan Wolfsberg '17 loaded the bases with one out. Jordan Northrup '19 took a walk to force in the go-ahead run.

The Cardinals hit four home runs in the game, taking the lead for good on a two-run shot by Matt Jeye in the fifth. Jeye's home run followed a game-tying double by Jordan Farber.

An inning later, Eric Jones hit his second home run in as many games to start a six-run sixth inning for Wesleyan. Guy Davidson and Jeye followed with run-scoring hits and two more Cardinal runs scored on one of Hamilton's seven errors.

Marco Baratta and Will O'Sullivan hit run-scoring singles in the eighth and the Cardinals closed out the scoring on Farber's two-out ninth inning home run.

O'Sullivan finished with three hits and drove in four runs. His two-run fourth-inning home run tied the score for the Cardinals.

Wolfsberg led Hamilton with three hits.

For the second game in a row, Ryan Earle earned the win in relief. He allowed a pair of runs in 4.2 innings out of the bullpen.

The Continentals are next in action Wednesday taking on SUNY Cortland in a 7 p.m. game at Rome's DeLutis Field. The Red Dragons are the defending NCAA champion and are the top-ranked team in the latest national coaches' poll.