HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College baseball team (10-6) returned to the win column with a convincing victory over the TCNJ Lions (7-7), opening the scoring with ten unanswered runs en route to a 12-6 final score.
Ten runs between the second and third frame helped propel the Fords ahead and they never really looked back. Home runs from Harry Genth and Jonny Flieder highlighted a day in which Haverford finished with 12 hits. Genth paced the Fords with a two-hit and four-RBI performance at the plate.
The Fords struck first against TCNJ pitcher John DiCostanzo. Three Fords would reach base to start the second inning as Zach Becker and Zach Landry were both walked while Chuck Norton was hit by a pitch. Kendrick Curry II stepped up with the bases loaded and one out, singling up the middle to score Landy and Becker.
Pranav Rane earned Haverford's third walk of the inning as DiCostanzo began struggling with the location of his pitches. DiCostanzo's struggles set up Genth to single to right field for an RBI as Norton was able to score.
The scoring wouldn't stop there. Daniel Rosman followed up Genth with an RBI single, scoring Rane and Curry II. Then, a perfectly placed bunt from Flieder brought Genth home as the Fords ended the second inning with six runs.
Haverford first-year starter Sam Cohen started the game for Haverford and put in an impressive shift. Cohen pitched 5.1 innings, striking out two and suffering only two earned runs.
The offensive outburst continued into the third inning with Haverford piling on another four runs with two outs. Becker and Landry flew out to give the Fords two quick outs but a single through the left side from Norton opened up the opportunity to score runs. Curry II stepped up and in clutch fashion cracked the ball to left center for an RBI double. Rane would then walk to put runners on first and second. Genth then left no doubt with his swing of the bat, sending the ball out of the park for a three-run shot and a 10-0 lead.
TCNJ looked to get back into the contest but two runs in the fourth inning weren't nearly enough to cause trouble. With eyes on increasing the lead again, Flieder hit Haverford's second home run of the game to make the score 11-2. It would become 12-2 in the seventh inning after Rane hit an RBI single to score Landy who made his way to second base earlier in the inning.
At this point, Cohen's day was done after 104 pitches. Aidan O'Sullivan took over pitching duties in the sixth inning and would get himself into a little trouble. TCNJ started the seventh inning with two singles and then Jack Felipe would be hit by a pitch. With the bases loaded, O'Sullivan would force TCNJ into their first out of the innings. O'Sullivan would get the second out of the inning striking out TCNJ's Michael Schumacher.
Wyatt Mattison then took over for O'Sullivan after the first-year finished with three strikeouts while allowing two hits. After adopting a bases-loaded situation, Mattison walked away with only one run scored in the inning.
Things got a little scary for the Fords in the eighth inning as the visiting Lions scored three runs, giving Haverford something to think about. After that, Ethan Goldstein took over the mound and finished the final 1.2 innings for Haverford. Goldstein took care of business and struck out two while only giving up one hit in a game that looked like it was going south.
The Fords have now hit 14 home runs on the year and are more than halfway to their total for the entire 2021-22 season 22. The contest against TCNJ was the sixth game this season in which Haverford has scored ten or more runs while improving to 3-1 at home this season.
The Fords now continue action as they travel to Salisbury on Sunday, March 26, to take on the No. 4 ranked Seagulls in an away doubleheader beginning at noon.