HAVERFORD, Pa. – For the first 13 innings of Thursday's doubleheader, the Haverford College softball team was in complete control. The Fords looked to be three outs away from sweeping the doubleheader in a rematch of last year's Centennial Conference Championship. However, the Muhlenberg bats erupted in that final inning to the tune of eight runs as the Fords (13-4, 5-1 CC) were forced to settle for a split with the Mules (7-6, 3-1 CC).
Behind a four-hit shutout from game one starter Sara Tauriello, the Fords rolled to a 5-0 win to get the day started on a positive note. Tauriello began the game by retiring six straight batters and nine of the first 10 that she faced, improving her record to 4-1 overall on the year. She also finished with six strikeouts in the contest. Tauriello's six strikeouts gave her the school record for a career. She now has 215 strikeouts, passing Lisa Karmel's 2013 strikeouts from 2008-11.
Haverford was able to break through offensively in the bottom of the third inning with the game's first run. Miwa Wenzel dropped down a bunt single to start that frame for the Fords' first base runner of the day. She was bunted into scoring position by Julie Garlick before coming around to score on a double off the left field wall from Lauren Touey. The Fords added their second run of the game in their next at-bats when Dayle Comerford led off the inning with a double and eventually came around to score on Stephanie Wolfson's RBI groundout.
The Fords scored their final three runs of the opening game in the fifth inning. Garlick and Touey started that inning with a double and single that put a pair of runners in scoring position. Two outs recorded on the infield kept the runners at their respective bases, but Comerford drilled her third home run of the year over the left field fence for the 5-0 lead.
Tauriello tossed a perfect fifth inning and allowed just a leadoff single in the sixth. The Mules loaded the bases with one out in the seventh to threaten late but Tauriello capped off her shutout with a strikeout and induced a fly ball to right to solidify the win.
In game two, Emily Winesett picked up right where Tauriello left off as she worked around a leadoff walk in the first inning and single to start the second inning. The Fords' pitcher did not allow Muhlenberg to score its first run of the entire afternoon until its 12th inning at the plate.
By the time the Mules had their first run across during the fifth inning of game two, Haverford had already scored two runs scored in the third inning. Starting a two-out rally, Sarah Brody singled to keep the Haverford half alive. Back-to-back doubles from Comerford and Kristin Tatum gave the Fords the game's first runs.
Haverford answered Muhlenberg's first run of the afternoon with two of its own in the bottom half of the fifth inning. After intentionally walking Comerford with nobody on base and one out, Tatum punished the Mules for that decision with a double into right field. Both Comerford and Tatum scored on a single back through the middle from Jill Schnall.
After recording just four hits in the opening game and just six hits through the first six innings of game two, the Mules came to life with eight runs on seven hits and one costly error to take their first lead of the day. An RBI double from Schnall in the bottom of the seventh brought the score to 9-5, but the Fords ultimately fell by that margin in the second game.
Today's split with Muhlenberg brought to a close a program-record 10 straight Centennial Conference victories during the regular season. Softball will be back at home next Tuesday in non-conference action against Widener with that doubleheader scheduled to get underway at 3 p.m. The Fords will attempt to start another Centennial Conference winning streak next Thursday when McDaniel comes to town for another 3 p.m. doubleheader.