CLERMONT, Fla. – The Haverford College softball team recorded its first win of the year on Wednesday. The Fords topped Husson (5-3) by a 2-1 score behind a dominant pitching effort from Kendall Chambers and a pair of RBI hits from Jessica Koshinski during the Fords' only action of the day.
Chambers fired a complete game one-hitter to subdue the Husson offense. The Eagles only run of the afternoon came in unearned fashion during the top of the sixth inning. Chambers retired the first 10 batters that she faced and allowed her only hit of the game in the fifth inning. That hit was the first ball to leave the infield against the Haverford defense. Chambers finished the victory with four strikeouts in the circle. Even after a walk with one out in the fourth gave the Eagles their first runner of the game, that runner was quickly erased on a double play during the next at-bat.
While Chambers was dealing in the circle, the Fords scored in two of the first three innings to provide all the offense they would need in the win. Julia Blake, who reached base during each of her three at-bats, got on via an error in the first inning. She advanced to second on a groundout during Kaitlyn Guild's at-bat and came around to score on an RBI double from Koshinski that put the Fords on top in the bottom of the first.
The Fords started with the top of the order once again in the third inning. This time, it was a single from Blake that put her on first base. She moved into scoring position on a stolen base with two outs before Koshinski delivered for the second time in as many at-bats with a two-out single.
The Eagles scored their only run of the game in the sixth inning when a two-out walk came around to score on a dropped fly ball in the outfield to cut the Fords lead to 2-1. Despite the unearned run, Chambers got the next batter to ground out to Rachel Wolfson at short to stop any further rally. Chambers capped the ninth complete game of her career by retiring the side in order in the seventh, including a strikeout, groundout that she took care of herself, and groundout to Koshinski at third.
With the first win of the season out of the way, softball will look to keep the momentum rolling on Thursday as the team plays Bates (8 a.m.) and Heidelberg (1 p.m.) in the final scheduled doubleheader of the trip. The week wraps up with a single game on Friday against Drew at 9 a.m.