LANCASTER, Pa. - The Haverford College baseball team swept a doubleheader from host Franklin & Marshall on Saturday afternoon, taking both ends of the twinbill by scores of 6-4 and 8-2, respectively. Dylan Livingston and Ryan Giovenco both turned in stellar starts on the mound while Ethan Lee-Tyson, Will Karp, and Spencer Sohmer all had four or more hits on the day. The Fords are now 12-12 overall and have begun the Centennial Conference season with a 5-1 mark. Franklin & Marshall falls to 8-11-1 overall and 3-3 in Centennial Conference competition.
In game one, Haverford backed Livingston with an early run in the top of the first. Karp singled to right field and advanced to third on a double from Lee-Tyson. With one out, Michael Schwarze picked up an RBI with a groundout.
Livingston (2-2) and Jack Buckley (3-1) swapped scoreless frames until the Fords broke through for three more runs in the sixth. Ben Furlong reached on a bunt single ahead of a walk to Harrison Burns. Furlong stole third base and Tom Phillips singled, grabbing two RBI in the process for a 4-0 lead.
The Diplomats fought back with a three-run frame in the bottom of the seventh. Livingston allowed a pair of singles before Andrew Johnson was summoned to relieve the sophomore. Kelsey Launi doubled home a pair of runs and Don DiLoreto added a sacrifice fly as the game suddenly hung in the balance with the Fords up by just one at 4-3.
Will Karp added an RBI single in the top of the eighth and Lee-Tyson walked with the bases loaded as the Fords pulled ahead 6-3. Franklin & Marshall added a run in the ninth against Thomas Primosch, but Primosch was able to pick up his second save of the year.
Karp added four hits in the first game in just five at-bats. Lee-Tyson was the other Ford with a multi-hit game, registering a 3-for-3 opener at the plate.
Livingston finished with 6.1 innings pitched, surrendering just one earned run and one walk while striking out three and scattering six hits. Primosch struck out three in his two innings of work.
In game two, the Fords received a stellar outing from first year Ryan Giovenco (3-1). The Fords again supported the starting pitcher with an early run, striking for the first run of the contest in the first inning on an Owen Plambeck double.
Haverford added two more in the top of the third against Jonathan Cole (2-1). Lee-Tyson drew a walk and advanced to second on a balk. Sohmer then singled to score Lee-Tyson. Plambeck followed with an RBI single for a 3-0 lead.
The Diplomats scored two of their own in the bottom of the third on a Matthew Kann single, but the runs would be the last of the day for the hosts. Haverford added an insurance run in the sixth. Lee-Tyson singled to center and advanced to third on a double by Sohmer. Schwarze tacked on a run with an RBI groundout later in the frame.
Haverford added three in the seventh as a pair of Diplomat errors and a Sohmer single stretched the lead to 7-2. Sohmer added an RBI single in the ninth as the Fords pulled ahead 8-2.
A big part of the Haverford story in the second game was Giovenco as he turned in a fourth-straight outstanding start for the Haverford rotation. Giovenco went eight innings, allowing just two runs on six hits while striking out four. Sohmer finished 4-for-5 with four RBI to pace the offensive effort for the Fords.
The Fords return to action with three of four games next week at home. Haverford hosts Washington College on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. before traveling to Chestertown, Md. for a Friday matinee with the Shoremen. The Fords will then host Johns Hopkins for a doubleheader on Saturday, April 14 with games slated for 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.