Baseball Falls to Wesleyan University (Conn.), 8-1

HOLYOKE, Mass. – Elms College junior designated hitter Sam Farnsworth (Westfield, Mass.) was 2 for 4 with a double and a run scored, but Wesleyan University (Conn.) used a 4 for 5 effort from Donnie Cimino (Westwood, N.J.) and Derek Lukin (Brooklyn, Conn.) tossed 6.0 innings to help pace the Cardinals to an 8-1 victory in Wednesday evening's non-conference baseball game at MacKenzie Stadium in Holyoke, Mass.

With the loss, Elms moves to 5-9 on the season, while Wesleyan improves to 11-8-1 overall.

Wesleyan plated a pair of runs on three hits in the first inning sparked by an RBI double by Cimino and an RBI single by Ben Hoynes (Rhinebeck, N.Y.) to give the Cardinals a 2-0 lead.

Elms answered with a run in the bottom of the second inning when Farnsworth cracked a leadoff double and then advanced to third on a groundout. Freshman shortstop Nolan Medeiros (Taunton, Mass.) drove him in the final 90 feet with a groundout to set the score at 2-1. Sophomore right fielder Brady Forrest (Hampden, Mass.) drew a walk but Lukin forced a fly out to end the inning.

After a scoreless third and fourth inning, the Cardinals added two runs on a Hoynes RBI single up the middle and a Steve Moran (Swampscott, Mass.) double to give Wesleyan a 4-1 edge. The Cardinals then added single runs in the seventh and eighth innings to up the advantage to 6-1, before Jonathan Dennett (Great Neck, N.Y.) ripped a two-run triple in the top of the ninth to set the final score at 8-1.

Elms' sophomore starter Sean Sinnott (Granby, Conn.) went three innings and allowed two runs on six hits and struck out one batter and suffered the loss to move to 2-2 on the season. Lukin improved to 2-0 with a six-frame outing and allowed just one run on four hits. Chris Law (Dover, Mass.) earned the save pitching the final three innings and issued two strikeouts in scoreless relief.

Elms' senior reliever Ryan Burnette (Chicopee, Mass.) pitched the middle three innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits and struck out one, while freshman reliever Andrew Sadowski (Northampton, Mass.) pitched the last three innings and surrendered four runs (one earned) on six hits.

Cimino finished with two runs scored and two RBI while Hoynes drove in three to highlight a 2 for 5 effort at the dish. Matt Sorkin (Lincoln, R.I.) totaled three hits to help seal the win for Wesleyan.

Elms' senior center fielder Stephen Fisher (West Boylston, Mass.), Farnsworth and sophomore pinch-hitter Geoffrey Frost (Ludlow, Mass.) each legged out a double.

Both teams left 10 runners on base in the contest.

The Blazers return to conference action on Saturday, April 6 with a double-header against Newbury College slated for 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. at Campanelli Stadium in Brockton, Mass.