After dropping game one on Friday, Wesleyan took a pair at Middlebury on Saturday, earning a 2-1 NESCAC West series victory over the Panthers (8-12, 4-8). With the wins, the Cardinals (18-12-1, 7-2) have clinched a playoff bid and will battle Amherst for the top seed next weekend. Middlebury ends NESCAC West play and returns to action when they host St. Michael's for a pair of Tuesday.

Wesleyan struck for an unearned run in the second inning of game one. Steve Moran reached on an error and stole second before moving to third on a second fielding error. He scored on a fielder's choice to second base hit by Jake Katosfky.

Middlebury starter Tyler Buckingham had a no-hitter going into the sixth inning, when the Cardinals struck for three more unearned runs, all coming with two outs. Guy Davidson had an RBI single to center for the Cardinals, while a bloop single to center by Moran plated Davidson and Jonathan Dennett to make it a 4-0 game.

The Cardinals added some insurance in the seventh with a pair of runs, again coming with two outs. Back-to-back doubles down the left field line by Chris Bonti and Andrew Yin made it a 5-0 game. Yin scored on a single to center by Donnie Cimino for the game's final run.

Jeff Blout tossed a gem for Wesleyan, allowing no runs on two hits while striking out five for the complete game shutout. He faced just four batters over the minimum, improving to 4-2 on the year.  Five different players had hits for the Cardinals, including Moran who drove in a pair.

Buckingham (1-1) allowed no earned runs and two hits over 5.2 innings of work, striking out five. Thomas Driscoll and Garrett Werner had Middlebury's hits.

The Middlebury bats came out strong in game two, striking for three runs in the first inning. The Panthers loaded the bases with one out, sparked by a double to left center by Alex Kelly. Hunter Merryman drove in a run with a single to center, while Dylan Sinnickson drew a bases loaded walk. Andrew Lind drove in Tom Rafferty with a fielder's choice as the Panthers jumped out quickly.

Wesleyan answered in the top of the fourth with four runs on four hits. Moran doubled and scored on a single through the left side from Katofsky. Yin scored a run with a shot to right, as a force play at second allowed Eric Jones to score from third. Cimino followed with a double down the left field line to score Yin and Katofsky to make it a 4-3 game.

The Panthers tied the game up in the second as Kelly walked and Driscoll singled, putting runners on the corners. Wesleyan starter Gavin Pittore was relieved by Sam Elias, with Michael Morris drawing a walk to load the bases. Elias induced a double play from the next batter as Kelly scored through the back door, before the inning ended.

The Cardinals scored three unearned runs in the third, taking a 7-4 lead they would not relinquish. Jones had an RBI single, with an RBI double to left by Katofsky. The Cardinals added another run in the sixth on an RBI single from Cimino, plating Yin.

Elias (1-2) was stellar in relief, allowing no runs and two hits over eight innings of work with five strikeouts. Katofsky finished 2-4 with a double, two runs scored and two RBI, while Cimino was 2-5 with a double. Bonti had a 2-4 game, while Yin extended his hitting streak to 25 games with a 1-5 performance, scoring twice.

Logan Mobley (0-3) suffered the loss in relief, allowing three runs, none earned, while pitching only the third inning. Noah Bakker was solid in relief, allowing a run and two hits over five innings with five strikeouts. Sinnickson went 2-3 in the contest, while Kelly was 1-4 with two runs scored.

Game 1 Box - Game 2 Box