FORT MYERS, Fla. - The Haverford College baseball team (6-4) finished up its stint at the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic with a 12-8 victory over Baruch College (0-4) on Saturday morning, taking a fifth-straight win with 11 runs in the middle three innings. Harry Genth launched a grand slam in the fourth inning, as part of a 5-RBI day to pace an impressive offensive effort.
The Fords turned to Sam Cohen on the mound, and the first year continued a string of solid starts from rookies and sophomores on the spring trip, logging four innings and surrendering just two hits and striking out six to pick up the win in a designated bullpen game. Aidan O'Sullivan was stellar in later relief with 3.1 scoreless innings, striking out five.
Haverford struck first, notching a single run in the third inning. Kendrick Curry II lifted a double into center field ahead of a groundout from Genth that moved Curry over to third. After a Daniel Rosman walk, Jonny Flieder added a sacrifice fly for a 1-0 Fords advantage.
In the fourth, Kyle Beach walked ahead of a Zach Landry single and a Chuck Norton double that plated Beach for a 2-0 lead. Curry walked to load the bases, and the lineup turned over for Genth, who launched a grand slam, breaking the game wide open at 6-0.
The Fords then tacked on three more in the fifth, as Zach Crampton and Beach laced hits before a pair of sacrifice flies off the bats of Becker and Genth. Those productive outs were wrapped around a bases-loaded walk to Curry, as the Fords were suddenly ahead 9-0 at the end of five innings.
No lead is ever quite safe in college baseball, as Baruch responded with a big inning of their own to tighten things dramatically, plating eight runs in the bottom of the frame. Colin Lewis took over on the hill for Cohen, and got into a bit of trouble as two walks and an infield hit loaded the bases. Roy Longazaro roped a single for the first run, and a hit by pitch brought in a second.
Joseph Cocozza hit into a double play, but a third run scored for Baruch. The Bearcats then sustained a two-out rally with Pedro Tejada Jr. adding an RBI single and a pair of Haverford fielding errors then bringing Baruch back within three before Robert Wakely doubled against new pitcher O'Sullivan to trim the lead to just one at 8-8.
Haverford went right back to work in the top of the sixth, embarking on a two-out rally of their own. Crampton launched a solo homer for a 10-8 advantage, and Beach and Becker walked before Landry doubled to plate the pair. Haverford was back in command up four at 12-8 heading into the latter third of the contest.
O'Sullivan twirled a pair of 1-2-3 innings in the seventh and eighth, and Haverford went to Ethan Goldstein for the final inning. Goldstein looked poised in the ninth, working around a leadoff single and an error, striking out two to nail down the win for the Fords.
The Haverford pitching staff combined for 13 strikeouts, and allowed just four earned runs. Haverford banged out 62 runs and 75 hits on the spring break trip, going 6-2 overall over the eight-game stint.
Landry (3-for-5, two runs scored, two RBI) joined Genth as standout performers while seven different Fords scored a run. The top four hitters in the Baruch order combined for six of the squad's seven hits on the day.
Haverford now returns to the Philadelphia region, with a busy week of contests ahead. The action begins on Tuesday with a road contest at Immaculata (3:30 p.m.) before the home opener on Wednesday against Widener (3:30 p.m.) and home doubleheader action against Cabrini on Saturday.