HAVERFORD, Pa. - On a pristine spring day the Haverford College baseball team split its Centennial Conference doubleheader against McDaniel College. The host Fords won Game 2 by an 8-6 score after dropping the opener, 15-2, at Kannerstein Field on Saturday afternoon.
Haverford (11-13, 4-4 CC) scored its first run in Game 2 in the second inning on a solo home run from third baseman Casey Fox. In the third, William Bannard drove in his first run of the day on a two-out triple down the right field line. The Fords poured in four more runs in the fifth inning alone and took a 6-4 lead heading into the sixth.
McDaniel (11-14, 5-5) tied the ball game at 6-6 in the top of the seventh, but the Fords responded in their half of the inning. Marley Randazzo singled and stole second to lead off the frame. Nick Miranda moved him to third on a groundout and Randazzo followed by scoring on a wild pitch.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Haverford added an insurance run on an RBI-single from Thomas Vollaro. Vollaro knocked in Fox who led the inning off with a single and swiped a bag. The run gave the home team an 8-6 advantage heading into the top of the ninth.
Patrick Falkoff pitched the ninth and sent the Green Terror packing without any problems. Falkoff threw 2.2 innings, struck out three batters, and picked up his first victory of 2014.
Game 1 saw the Fords score their opening run in the third inning on an RBI-single from Nick Miranda. In the bottom of the ninth, freshman Jared Deveau launched a pinch-hit, opposite-field blast to record his first collegiate home run.
Starting pitcher Zach Taylor (1-1) had a no-hitter through three innings, until giving up two hits and a run in the top of the fourth. McDaniel opened the game up with a seven-run sixth inning and won the opener, 15-2.
Miranda and Fox both batted .500 on the day as the hitters combined to go 8-for-16, knock in three runs, and score three more runs in the doubleheader.
Haverford hosts Dickinson College on Sunday, April 13, to finish the season series with the Red Devils, after the April 5 game lasted five and a half hours over 16 innings. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. at Kannerstein Field.