FORT MYERS, Fla. – Back-to-back RBI singles by Casey Fox and Alex Hudak in the fifth inning provided the winning margin, and winning pitcher Kyle Waney's four innings of relief led Haverford College's baseball team to a, 5-3, non-conference victory over Drew University at Terry Park under a light Florida drizzle Tuesday afternoon.
The win improves Haverford's season-opening start to a 6-0 mark while Drew falls to .500 with a 3-3 record.
The Rangers put the first runs on the board Tuesday scoring once in the top of the first and once more in the second off Fox who started the day on the mound for Haverford.
It was Fox who helped himself in the bottom of the second with a lead-off double to left-center field, the first of four consecutive hits that plated three runs to push the Fords ahead, 3-2.
Hudak singled to left bringing in Fox for the first run of the frame, then Matt Liscovitz kept the inning rolling with a short single down the right line that moved Hudak to second. Nick Ott singled to left allowing Hudak to score and Liscovitz to move to third where he raced home for the third run on Mike Tentilucci's sacrifice squeeze bunt.
Fox limited the Rangers to just those two early runs but gave way to Waney at the start of the fifth. Waney earned the win after throwing four innings and surrendering an unearned run on three hits and three walks while fanning two. Patrick Falkoff came on in relief to start the ninth and picked up the save inducing an easy grounder to second for the first out, a pop-up to second for the next out, and another easy grounder to end the game.
Fox and Hudak figured into the pair of fifth-inning insurance runs that proved necessary. Zach Taylor singled up the middle with one out then stole second before the second out of the inning. Nick Miranda walked and both he and Taylor moved up a bag on a double-steal. Luke Frankiw drew a walk to load the bases for Fox who punched a single deep into the hole at shortstop bringing Taylor home. Hudak followed to almost the same spot, singling home Miranda for the Fords' final run.
The Rangers trimmed the lead to two with an unearned run off of Waney in the eighth but that would be the final threat from Drew which last saw the Fords in the 2012 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional where Haverford rallied from a 9-1 sixth-inning deficit to eliminate the Rangers from the national tournament with an 11-9, 12-inning victory.
Hudak and Fox finished Tuesday with two hits apiece with Hudak registering a pair of RBIs. Fox, Ott and Tentilucci picked up the day's other RBIs for Haverford.
Alex Taylor (1-1) started and took the loss for Drew allowing five runs, all earned, off six hits and three walks over six innings.
Haverford finally gets a day off Wednesday, after opening the spring trip with five games in three days, before jumping back into action Thursday against St. Joseph's of Long Island for a single, nine-inning game.