HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College softball team won game one against Washington College by a 10-2 score in six innings on Tuesday before the second game ended in a 4-4 tie after five innings due to darkness. The second game will be recorded as a tie and will only be played to completion if it has any effect on conference seeding at the end of the regular season.
The Fords (12-7-1, 2-1-1 CC) jumped all over the Shorewomen (8-16-1, 1-2-1 CC) during the first game as they scored six runs during the first three innings. Right out of the gate, the Fords got a leadoff single from Julia Blake, two-run blast from Nicole Swisher, and triple from Rachel Wolfson to blitz WAC early. Marybeth Stone made it four straight hits to start the day with a single to bring home Wolfson and give Haverford a 3-0 edge after just one inning.
After Swisher hit her second home run of the season in the first, Blake was back at-bat in the second and lifted her fifth home run of the season over the wall in right centerfield. That brought home Maya Casey, who had singled right back at the pitcher to get the inning started. Emma Souter helped make it 6-0 after three innings with a leadoff double in the third. She was bunted into scoring position and scored as part of a double steal.
Washington College scored during the fifth and sixth innings to make the score 6-2, but Haverford secured the walk-off victory with four runs in the bottom half of the six. Temma Levis drove in the first two runs of the inning as Wolfson and Souter had singled to start the frame. Casey also delivered an RBI single in the frame before a hit-by-pitch and back-to-back walks made the game an eight run difference.
Levis got the start for Haverford and allowed just four hits and one run over her five innings of work while striking out sixth. Casey took over in the circle during the sixth inning to wrap up the Centennial Conference victory. In addition to finishing the game in the circle, Casey led the Fords with a 3-for-3 game at the plate. Blake, Wolfson, and Souter also had multiple hits in the opening game.
Haverford was also staked to an early lead after scoring three more runs in the bottom of the first during game two. Souter had the only RBI of that inning as the Fords used two Shorewomen errors and a pair of hit by pitches to answer WAC's run in the top of the first. Haverford made it 4-2 after two innings with an RBI groundout from Maya Casey. Nevertheless, WAC stayed persistent and tied the game in the top of the fifth as the Fords were just one inning away from the game becoming official while holding a 4-3 advantage.
Johanna Batterton started game two for the Fords and allowed just one earned run over her four-plus innings of work before Briana Quinn came on in relief during the fifth. Quinn also did not allow an earned run but two Ford errors kept the Shorewomen alive throughout the game.
Softball will be back at home this Thursday as the Fords take on Lebanon Valley in non-conference action on the Class of '95 Field. Thursday's doubleheader is scheduled for a 3 p.m. start.