ALLENTOWN, Pa. – The Haverford College baseball team went on the road for a 7-1 win against Muhlenberg on Monday afternoon at Cedarcreek Field. Spencer Sohmer keyed the offense with a 3 for 4 day that included two doubles and five RBI while Dylan Livingston (4-1) threw 6.2 innings of one-hit baseball before giving way to the bullpen. The Fords improve to 16-13-1 (7-6-1 CC) while the Mules drop to 14-18 overall (4-10 CC) in defeat.
Haverford struck for two runs in the top of the first inning against Muhlenberg starter Sam Kasten (1-4). Ethan Lee-Tyson walked and stole second ahead of consecutive RBI doubles from Spencer Sohmer and Sam Partee that gave early run support Livingston.
Ben Furlong drove an RBI double into right center field, plating Sohmer in the top of the third inning as the Fords extended the lead to 3-0. Sohmer kept up a scorching stretch with a two-RBI single in the top of the fourth, scoring Lee-Tyson and Owen Plambeck as Haverford stretched the lead to 5-0.
After Plambeck was hit by a pitch to lead off the sixth, Matt Goss reached on an infield single and advanced into scoring position on a throwing error that moved Plambeck to third base. Sohmer posted another RBI, this time executing a squeeze bunt that scored Plambeck from third easily as the Mules catcher only had one play, at first base.
Sohmer made it 7-0 with a double to right field that scored Owen Plambeck in the eighth inning as the Fords added a run against reliever Charlie Lekkas.
John Masella and Patrick O'Shea combined for the final 2.1 innings of the contest, allowing four hits and one run. Muhlenberg was able to push a run across with an infield single from John Icaza in the bottom of the eighth for a 7-1 final score.
Livingston was a standout all day, as the first-year pitcher held the Muhlenberg hitters at bay despite the less-than-ideal pitching conditions in a driving drizzle that occasionally developed into rain and dissipated throughout the early and middle innings. Livingston struck out a pair and allowed just a first-inning single.
Goss also had a two-hit game for the Fords, who played error-free defense en route to victory. Haverford completed its first season-series sweep of Muhlenberg since 2012.
Weather permitting; Haverford will play its fourth game in three days at rival Swarthmore on Tuesday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. Hood Trophy points are on the line as the Fords look to finish the regular season strong.
Positioning for the Centennial Conference playoff race is heating up with six teams within two games of each other and only Johns Hopkins already assured of a playoff spot.
The home-and-home series with Swarthmore comes to Kannerstein Field on Friday, April 28 for a 3:30 p.m. first pitch before the Fords wrap up Centennial Conference regular season play with a doubleheader at Gettysburg on Saturday, April 29.