The Hamilton College softball team started NESCAC West Division play in dramatic fashion Friday, holding off host Wesleyan University for a 6-5 win in Middletown, Conn. The victory, which evened the Continentals' record at 8-8, opened a three-game weekend series between the two teams.

Hamilton withstood a late Wesleyan rally as the hosts scored twice in their final at-bat and put the tying and winning runs in scoring position.

The Cardinals (14-5, 0-1 NESCAC West) had won five straight and 10 of 11.

The Continentals jumped out to a 4-0 lead then – after the host Cardinals pulled to within 4-3 in the bottom of the sixth – pushed their lead back to three runs before withstanding Wesleyan's last-ditch threat.

Zoe Singer '18 earned her first career save, striking out the Cardinals' final hitter to seal the win. Molly Leitner '19 earned the win, raising her season record to 3-2. She scattered five hits over her six innings of work.

Hannah Staab '17 drove in the game's first run with a bases-loaded single in the second. Hamilton's next batter, Ashleah Yzaguirre '19 was hit by a pitch to put the Continentals up 2-0 and an inning later Phoebe Collins '18 pushed the lead to 3-0 with a two-out double that scored Helen Lin '19.

After Liz Brautigam '19 singled home Yzaguirre in the fourth, Wesleyan got back in the game with a three-run sixth. Rielly Wieners singled in a run and Amanda Roosa followed with a two-run single leaving runners on the corners. Leitner worked out of trouble, retiring the next three batters to preserve the lead.

Delaney Nicol '19 scored on a one-out Wesleyan error and Daphne Assimakopoulos '17 doubled home Collins in the top of the seventh.

Wieners and Roosa hit consecutive run-scoring singles with two outs in the seventh then moved into scoring position on a passed ball before Singer thwarted the rally to pick up the save.

Collins (single and double) and Yzaguirre (single and triple) both had two of Hamilton's 11 hits.

The teams resume their series with a noon doubleheader Saturday.