CLERMONT, Fla. – The Haverford College softball team picked up its first sweep of the season with a 3-2 win against No. 25 Manhattanville and a 12-4 triumph against Lesley. Haverford started its day with a walk-off double from Ashley Sisto in the bottom of the seventh to complete the comeback against the nationally-ranked Valiants. The Fords then scored nine runs in the first two innings against Lesley to leave no doubt in that battle with the Lynx.
The Fords found themselves in an early hole against Manhattanville as an untimely miscue on the field led to a pair of Valiant runs in the top of the first. After being shut down the first three innings, Haverford capitalized on Manhattanville's errors during the fourth to trim the deficit in half. Abby Marquis reached on an error and moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. Kaila Uyeda came on to run and scored Haverford's first run after a second defensive lapse in the frame.
Haverford started to make more solid contact in the sixth inning as Emma Souter led off that inning with a double. A fielder's choice allowed her to move over to third with just one out before she scored on Nikki Kingsland's RBI groundout. While the Fords were scratching their way back into a tie game, Temma Levis continued to mow down the Manhattanville lineup as she did not allow an earned run over her seventh innings of work while conceding just four hits over that span.
That resilience paid off with Levis' first win of the year when the Fords completed the comeback in the bottom of the seventh. It was Levis herself who started the rally in earnest as she was hit by a pitch before Madison Hujber came in to run for her. Emily Reinstadtler moved that run into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt before the Valiants put two away following a strikeout. Nevertheless, Sisto was not going to let this game go to extras as she drilled a 3-1 pitch into the gap in left field to score the game-winning run, capping a 2-for-4 day at the plate personally.
The Fords took much of the drama out of Tuesday's second game with a five-run first and four-run second. Haverford pounded out nine hits over those first two innings and finished with 14 hits in the contest. Marybeth Stone delivered the biggest blast as she drilled a three-run home run over the right field fence to open the scoring in the second inning. Stone finished the game with five RBI and was one of nine Fords to collect a hit in the contest.
The top three in the lineup scored seven of the Fords' 12 runs by setting the table for the middle of the order. Marquis was 3-for-4 in the contest while fellow first-year Kingsland also had three hits to go along with two runs scored and driven in. Sisto scored two more runs out of the leadoff spot while Souter led Haverford with three runs scored out of the No. 2 hole. Johanna Batterton picked up the win in the circle as she allowed just three hits over her six innings of work while striking out one and not allowing a walk.
After six games over the last three days, Haverford will have Wednesday off from competition to enjoy the Sunshine State. The Fords return to action early Thursday morning with games against Geneva (9 a.m.) and Westminster (Pa.) (11:30 a.m.). Both of those contests will see the Fords return to the Hancock Recreational Complex. Haverford wraps up its schedule on Florida on Friday.