HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College baseball team was upended by visiting Swarthmore, 14-7, in the 2017 regular season home finale at Kannerstein Field. The Fords struck for three first inning runs but Swarthmore responded with 11 runs from the fifth to seventh frames to capture a road victory. Owen Plambeck hit his first career home run in the victory while Michael Schwarze tallied his first career hit, a pinch-hit double to center field in the ninth inning. Haverford falls to 17-14-1 (8-7-1 CC) while Swarthmore improves to 14-22 (7-9 CC).
The Fords went to work quickly against Sawyer Lake (4-3) of Swarthmore, tagging the first year lefty for three first inning runs. Ethan Lee-Tyson singled up the middle and advanced to second on a groundout. Lee-Tyson went to third on a ground ball and Spencer Sohmer walked before back-to-back RBI hits from Sam Partee and Ben Furlong, who doubled into the gap. Nick Perez later walked with the bases loaded to force in a run for a 3-0 Haverford advantage.
Jared Deveau (3-3) matched Lake with quick innings in the first and second innings before the Garnet pushed a run across on a Wesley Fishburn single in the third inning, cutting the Haverford lead to 3-1. Swarthmore also added a second run in the inning on a throwing error, as a double steal attempt with runners on the corners plated a Garnet run.
Swarthmore tied the score at 3-3 in the top of the fourth inning, as Max Grullon led off the frame with a home run. The Fords had a power display of their own against Lake in the bottom of the inning, as Plambeck drilled his first career homer to right field. The Fords took a 4-3 lead into the fifth inning.
Swarthmore posted a three-run inning in the fifth, keyed by RBI singles from Cole Beeker and Grullon. Deveau was chased from the contest, suddenly trailing 6-4. John Masella induced a double-play grounder in relief, ending the Garnet rally at just the three runs.
Lake seemed to find a groove from that point, setting the Fords down in order in the bottom of the fifth and sixth innings. Swarthmore added three runs in the sixth, as Charles Levitt hit a three-run homer. The Garnet broke the game open in the seventh with five runs, including Levitt's second homer of the game, to take a 14-4 lead.
The Fords inched closer with a run in the seventh on an RBI groundout from Sohmer and mounted a two-out, two-run rally in the bottom of the ninth inning. Schwarze doubled to left center and was immediately followed by Sohmer, who powered a homer to right.
Yannick Villanueva finished the contest with 2.1 innings of relief, allowing two unearned runs. Lee-Tyson, Furlong and Plambeck each had multi-hit games for the Fords. Lake went seven full innings, walking four and striking out four for Swarthmore.
Haverford will travel to Gettysburg for a doubleheader with the host Bullets on Saturday, beginning at 12:30. With only Johns Hopkins assured of a Centennial Conference playoff berth, six teams are battling for the final three spots. The playoff picture remains unsettled entering the final day of the regular season on Saturday.