IMMACULATA, Pa. - The Haverford College baseball team (7-5) returned to the win column with a wild come-from-behind victory over the Immaculata Mighty Macs (5-5), scoring 15 unanswered runs after falling behind 8-1 at the end of the second inning.
An 11-run third frame helped lift that comeback bid, as Jack Wallis celebrated his birthday with a pair of three-run homers as part of a monster day at the plate, finishing 2-4 with 7 RBI. Wallis matched Jake Chaplin for the second-most RBI in a single contest in the triumph.
The Fords struck first against Immaculata hurler Derek Andrada. Chuck Norton led off the second inning reaching via the hit by pitch, and Zach Landry doubled in the gap for a 1-0 lead, palting Landry.
Haverford first year starter Sam Cohen got into a spot of trouble in the second inning, as Immaculata rallied to plate eight runs, and seemingly break the game wide open.
Kristian Saucedo notched a two-RBI single, while Josh Crowding poked a single into the outfield before the big hit of the inning, a bases-clearing triple from Robert Woodward. In total, Immaculata tallied six hits in the frame to pull ahead 8-1 after batting around and sending 13 batters to the plate.
Haverford then began its offensive outburst, coming all the way back from the brink to take the lead. Daniel Rosman walked to lead off the inning, before a double from Jonny Flieder. Wallis then stepped up and delivered a three-run blast, trimming the lead to just 8-4. Kyle Beach, Landry, and Becker then singled in succession as Becker knocked Andrada out of the contest with a pair of RBI as suddenly Haverford was back within two at 8-6.
Pranav Rane walked, Harry Genth singled, and Rosman walked with the bases loaded to put Haverford within one, and Flieder then roped a single to score Rane as suddenly Haverford had erased the deficit and tied the score at 8-8.
The Fords were far from done, with Wallis delivering a sacrifice fly before Beach tallied a two-RBI double and Landry adding his second single of the inning for an 12-8 advantage. In total, Haverford banged out 11 runs on nine hits in a historic frame.
The offensive prowess continued into the fourth, as Rosman singled and Flieder doubled again, ahead of a second three-run homer from Wallis, breaking things wide open as the Fords were now ahead 15-8 heading into the bottom of the fourth. Rane plated an insurance run in the fifth, adding an RBI single that scored Norton, who had singled to lead off the inning.
Taking over on the Mound in the fifth inning, first-year Ethan Goldstein recorded the win (1-1) with an incredible performance to hold a potent Immaculata offense totally off guard. Goldstein allowed just two hits and no walks while striking out five in his 4.1 innings of work after taking over for Cohen.
In a tale of two games, Haverford logged just two base runners in the final four innings, while Immaculata mustered just four as the pitching took center stage after such strong offensive showings in the early goings. Ryan Crowell helped the Mighty Macs settle down as he tossed four innings of two-hit baseball. Four different Haverford hitters logged multi-hit games, as Flieder and Landry were both integral with three hits each. Rosman walked three times to help set the table. All nine hitters logged hits and scored a run in the contest.
The Fords now continue action against Main Line foes on Saturday, March 18, taking on Cabrini in a home doubleheader beginning at noon at Kannerstein Field.