HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College baseball team split a Centennial Conference doubleheader with Dickinson on Sunday afternoon at Kannerstein Field. The Fords powered past Dickinson, 13-0, in the first game before dropping the second by a final tally of 8-3. Haverford sits at 15-13-1 (6-6-1 CC) while Dickinson is now 20-16 (7-7 CC) on the season. Will Karp and Spencer Sohmer homered to help key the Haverford offense in the game one triumph while Brandon Jenkins and Anthony Rizzo combined to shutout the Red Devils.
Game One: Haverford 13, Dickinson 0
In game one, the Fords sent Jenkins (2-0) to the hill to matchup with Ryan Vasel (4-3). The Fords tagged Vassel for two first inning runs. Ethan Lee-Tyson reached on an infield single and Matt Goss drilled a single to right field. Sam Partee walked with one out and Ben Furlong picked up an RBI a sacrifice fly. Harrison Burns followed with a single down the right field line to score Goss for a 2-0 Haverford advantage.
Jenkins worked out of jams in the first and second innings as Dickinson had four left on base through two innings. Vasel countered with some quick innings of his own. Sohmer interrutped the stride of Vasel with a one-out homer in the third inning before the Fords broke things open wider in the bottom of the fourth.
Karp led off the inning with his first career home run to left-center field and Nick Perez followed with a single, advancing into scoring position on a wild pitch. Owen Plambeck then singled through the left side of the infield. Lee-Tyson laid down a squeeze bunt to score Perez from home for the second run of the inning. Goss singled and Sohmer picked up a single to center field to plate a pair. Partee doubled, scoring another run before Tommy Koide took over on the hill. The damage was done as Haverford had a commanding 8-0 lead.
Haverford added another five-spot in the eighth inning against Clayton Tennant. With one out, Partee, Furlong and Burns each drew walks to load the bases. Chris Dunn was summoned from the bullpen and allowed an infield single off the bat of Karp. The throw skipped away from the first baseman and two runs scored on the play.
Ben Verducci, who came into the game as a pinch runner and remained at first base, reached on an infield single to plate a run before Karp came home on a passed ball. The next batter, Plambeck, singled into left field to score Verducci as Haverford had a 13-0 lead after eight full innings.
Jenkins and Rizzo combined for the shutout, the second of the season for Haverford after the feat was accomplished against McDaniel in early April. Jenkins allowed seven hits and struck out one to earn the win while Anthony Rizzo gave up two hits and walked one while striking out a batter to pick up his first career save.
Goss, Sohmer, Partee and Karp each had two hits while Plambeck had a three-hit day to pace the offense.
Dickinson left 13 runners on base as the Fords pitching was able to work craftily out of jams, inducing flyballs to end offensive threats on multiple occasions. Austin Sumners and Rob Thompson each had two hits while Max Matilsky had three to lead the way for the visitors.
Game 2: Dickinson 8, Haverford 3
In game two, Nathan Vucovich (1-4) got the starting assignment against Billy O'Neil (8-1). Dickinson got on the scoreboard first with four runs in the third inning to take the early lead. The runs scored unearned as Jonathan Chudacoff singled and advanced to third as an error turned an RBI single into a two-run play. A run scored on a wild pitch before Jake Band singled to right center to plate a run.
Dickinson tacked on three more runs in the fourth against reliever Austin Castellanos and Dickinson added a single run in the fifth on a Thompson RBI single.
Haverford made things interesting in the bottom of the sixth. Lee-Tyson singled up the middle ahead of Goss, who crushed a two-run homer to right field for a pair of RBI. Sohmer hit a double down the right field line against reliever Alex Gusikoff, and Furlong roped a single into right field to plate the third run of the frame.
Haverford was set down in order from the seventh inning on as Reid Collins worked a perfect seventh, eighth and ninth with three strikeouts to seal his fifth save of the season and salvage a game for Dickinson.
Daniel Joffe was stellar for the Fords in relief, going the final 4.2 innings allowing just two hits and walking two while striking out a batter to help save a bullpen that is likely to be called into duty often during a busy five-game week for Haverford.
O'Neil, the Dickinson starter, struck out three and allowed five hits, surrendering two earned runs. The third run was charged to the ledger of Gusikoff. Matilsky had another multi-hit game for Dickinson, joining Steven Sakowicz in accomplishing the feat.
The Fords will be back in action tomorrow on the road as Haverford finishes up a home-and-home series with Muhlenberg in Allentown. The action will begin at 3:30 p.m.