HAVERFORD, Pa. – Pitcher Tommy Bergjans' 18 strikeouts set a new program record in Haverford College's 4-2 win in Saturday's opener of a Centennial Conference baseball doubleheader against visiting Washington College, and Mike Tentilucci helped spark the attack from the plate during the Fords' 13-10 Game 2 victory that gave Haverford a sweep over the Shoremen at Kannerstein Field.
The pair of Haverford (23-7, 8-5 CC) victories over Washington (13-19, 4-8) moves the Fords into fourth place within the Centennial standings, with two of the three teams ahead of them on the schedule over the next seven days.
Bergjans set the tone early in Saturday's opener (box score), striking out a pair of Shoremen in the first and fanning the side in the second. He was in command all game long allowing only an earned run in the fifth after a two-out walk followed by a single, and then an unearned run in the sixth on an infield throwing error that allowed Washington's Tyler Cotterell to score all the way from first base on the miscue.
Three times during the game, in the first, second and eighth innings, Bergjans struck out the side. He fanned two in four innings and settled for one in the fourth before relying on his fielders to close out a one-hit seventh without a strikeout. For the game, Bergjans (6-0) surrendered just those two runs on six hits and two walks to go along with his record-setting strikeout day.
The Fords got on the board quickly to aid Bergjans, as Nick Miranda's lead-off triple in the bottom of the first off Washington starter Joe Kerney-Argow led to a run on Casey Fox's ground out deep in the hole at shortstop.
The Fords added another run in the second but saw the Shoremen chip away at the lead with the earned run off Bergjans in the fifth and the unearned one in the sixth.
Matt Liscovotz rapped a one-out single into center field to open the bottom of the sixth and beat the throw from left field when the next batter, George Hatamiya, lashed a doubled down the left-field line.
An insurance run was tacked on in the seventh, but it was unneeded as Bergjans was in command over the final innings, allowing just a seventh-inning base runner over the final three frames to close out the complete-game victory.
His 18 strikeouts Saturday broke the single-game mark he set last season in an 8-2 Haverford victory at Muhlenberg College on April 5, 2012.
The nightcap appeared at first to be a run-away victory for the Fords who posted three runs on the board in the first then added two more in the third.
The Shoremen finally put up a number in the fourth, getting to Haverford starter Kyle Waney with one run before leaving a runner stranded in scoring position at second base.
With Haverford ahead 5-1 and Waney comfortable on the mound, the Fords didn't look like they would need more runs but they added four more in the fifth, then answered Washington's three-run sixth with four more runs in the bottom of the frame.
The pair of four-run innings proved necessary, though, as the Shoremen worked on reliever Max Gerard, who came on for Waney to start the seventh, for six runs over the next two innings. Clay Bloszies came on for Gerard with two outs in the eighth and shut down the Washington threat, then finished off the game in the ninth to earn his first save of the season.
Tentilucci was the spark plug at the plate for Haverford with his 4-for-5 outing that included three RBIs and two runs scored. Nick Ott and Fox also had multi-hit games for Haverford, while William Bannard, Justin Coulter and Miranda each finished with two RBIs apiece.
Waney (4-0) picked up the win after throwing six innings while surrendering four runs on seven Shoremen hits and one walk. Waney struck out five.
The Fords get Sunday off before traveling to Collegevile, Pa., on Monday to square off against Ursinus College in a conference match-up that was originally scheduled for Friday, April 19 but has been postponed twice.
Following the Ursinus trip, Haverford will travel to Lancaster, Pa., Tuesday afternoon when it will face off against Franklin & Marshall College in another league game.