CHESTERTOWN, Md. - The Haverford College softball team picked up a Centennial Conference sweep to start league play Tuesday evening at Washington College. The Fords (10-4, 2-0 CC) outlasted the Shorewomen (5-9, 0-2 CC) in the opening game, winning 11-6 in eight innings. With the first game running long, Haverford prevailed in a 2-1 contest for the sweep in a second game that was called after five innings due to darkness.
The Fords pounded out 17 hits in the opening victory. A five-run fifth inning and five-run inning in the eighth paced the Haverford offense. The Fords scored their first run of the game on a solo blast from reigning Centennial Conference Player of the Week Kristin Tatum in the top of the third.
Trailing 3-1 heading to the fifth inning, the Fords racked up five runs on four hits while also capitalizing on three Washington College errors. Jessica Koshinski and Sarah Brody started the inning with back-to-back singles before Dayle Comerford drove a ball that looked to be at minimum a sacrifice fly, but was misplayed. Tatum was then intentionally walked to load the bases. Jill Schnall later beat out an infield single before Kendall Chambers reached on an error as another run scampered home.
An RBI groundout from Miwa Wenzel brought home the third run of the frame, while Julie Garlick delivered the closing blow with a two-run triple into the left centerfield gap. Those final two runs gave Haverford a 5-2 lead. However, the host Shorewomen climbed back into the game with two runs in the bottom half of that frame before adding its final run of the afternoon in the sixth.
Starting off the eighth inning, the Fords had eight straight batters reach base after a pop up on the infield to start the inning. Brody and Comerford each tallied singles, while Tatum worked a walk to load the bases. Schnall singled, but the Fords had a runner called out at second for interference. Chambers kept the streak alive as she reached on an error that allowed two runs to score. Wenzel doubled to centerfield, bringing home two more runs. Garlick also capped this big inning with a single to right field, making the score 11-6.
Chambers closed down the victory with the final three outs in the circle to finish off her three inning performance. The only runner to reach in Washington's half of the eighth was via an error. Chambers' first win of the year came after three innings of no-hit softball during which she allowed just one run. She came on in relief of Sara Tauriello after the Fords' starter went five innings, allowing just two earned runs.
The Fords had six players finish the opening game with multiple hits. Brody, Comerford and Wenzel each had three hits in the first game. Wenzel and Garlick both drove in three runs, while Comerford, Tatum, Schnall, and Chambers each scored a pair of runs.
Game two was a reversal of the first game's offensive trends as Emily Winesett picked up her seventh win in the circle by scattering six hits over her five-inning complete game effort. She struck out four, allowing just one run in the shortened game.
Haverford took the lead in the top of third. Garlick started the inning when she reached on an error and was bunted into scoring position by Lauren Touey. Koshinski doubled home the game's first run. Haverford added another run in similar fashion during the fourth when a walk issued to Tatum was bunted over by Schnall and driven home by Chambers. Washington's biggest threat of the second game came in the bottom of the fourth. With the first run of the inning already home, Winesett worked around two defensive miscues by getting the final batter of the frame to ground out to third with the bases loaded.
The game ended in anticlimactic fashion for the hosts as Washington had two runners on with one out and day light dwindling in the fifth. Winesett got the next batter to strike out swinging before the final out of the game was recorded when the Haverford coaching staff caught Washington failing to report a substitute re-entry. Thus, darkness had set in and the game was called with the Fords the 2-1 beneficiaries of the shortened game.
After winning both games in the matchup of the last two Centennial Conference Championship teams, softball will return to non-conference action on Thursday against No. 9 Rowan. The doubleheader is slated to get underway at 3 p.m. on the Class of 95 Field.