HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College baseball team was outlasted in a non-conference matinee against Eastern on Wednesday afternoon, falling by a 6-4 final in 10 innings on Kannerstein Field. The Fords rallied for three runs in the eighth inning to tie the score, but the Eagles escaped with the extra-innings victory, adding a pair of runs in the top of the 10th.
Looking to give a variety of bullpen options some work, Haverford used nine pitchers in the contest. Eastern struck for three runs in the first inning, as Britton Lawrence connected on a two-run homer to highlight the frame for the visitors. A Haverford lineup consisting mainly of younger players was largely held in check by Eastern starter Nelson Ocasio, as he allowed just two hits and one earned run, striking out five in his five innings of work.
After Eastern stretched its advantage to 4-0 in the top of the fourth, the Fords pushed a run across in their half of the inning as first-year Grant Schwartz drilled a double into left field with one out. Ocasio then walked three batters in the frame, plating a run as senior Daniel Joffe picked up the RBI for the bases loaded walk.
In the top of the seventh inning, Haverford made a series of defensive changes, entering five consistent starters into the lineup while junior Owen Plambeck joined the fray in the eighth. The grouping made its presence felt in the bottom of the eighth, as junior Will Karp tripled into the right-center field gap to begin the inning after a spirited at-bat. Senior Ethan Lee-Tyson then reached on a fielder's choice, and junior Harrison Burns scored Karp with an RBI groundout. Junior Luke Wallis was credited with an RBI of his own after a fielding error on his grounder to the right side of the infield, and first-year Ben Browning then singled into left center, plating Wallis to knot the score at 4-4.
Joffe took over on the mound in the ninth and worked out of some trouble, giving Haverford a shot to walk off with a victory in the bottom of the frame. Joffe immediately helped his own cause with a leadoff single, but new Eagles pitcher Steve Sattanino induced a double play on a hard-hit comebacker off the bat of senior Sam Partee. Karp added his second hit of the contest with two out, securing his 16th multi-hit game of the season, but Sattanino rebounded to retire the side, sending the game into extra frames.
Eastern added a pair of runs in the top of the 10th, and Sattanino worked around a two-out single from senior Jared Turner in the bottom of the inning, securing a road win for Eastern.
Haverford's pitching staff recorded 13 strikeouts on the day, with each of the nine pitchers to see the mound recording at least one. First-year Cole Bramhall was impressive in the fifth inning as he struck out the side. Junior Lucas Greenbaum got the start, striking out two in his two innings, while sophomore Thomas Primosch also notched a pair in a scoreless sixth.
The Fords now return to Centennial Conference action with the home-and-home series against Washington College set to conclude in Chestertown on Friday at 3:30 p.m. The Fords will then host McDaniel for a doubleheader in the home finale on Saturday. First pitch is slated for noon.