ALLENTOWN, Pa. - The Haverford College softball team (16-17-1, 4-7-1 CC) split its doubleheader with host Muhlenberg (13-17, 4-8 CC) on Tuesday evening at Cedarcreek Field. The Fords prevailed in extra innings in game one by a score of 5-2, before being denied in game two by a 5-0 score.
Haverford 5, Muhlenberg 2 (10)
Game one went a whopping 10 innings as both teams refused to make it easy for each other. Rachel McQueen recorded the win after pitching all ten innings, allowing just two earned runs. The win secured McQueen's sixth win of the season while Maddie Etheridge led the way on the offensive side with three RBI.
No runs were scored in the opening two innings, but Haverford changed that in the top of the third. An Etheridge walk and Carley Parsons single allowed Kaila Uyeda to step up and hit a single that plated Etheridge. However, the Mules evened the score in the bottom of the frame thanks to a Scooter Hulsen RBI single.
The Fords scored again in the fourth inning after Etheridge singled to second base to bring Jocelyn Leal home, after Leal walked earlier in the inning. However, the runs dried up for much of the game after Haverford grabbed the 2-1 lead.
The Mules tied the game in the bottom of the fifth and with both teams struggling to make solid contact on the ball up to the seventh inning, the game headed into extra innings.
The contest eventually reached the 10th inning with international tiebreaker rules in place to put a runner on second base to begin that frame. The Fords took full advantage, as Leal cracked a single to left field to score Carina Whiting, the designated runner at second. Haverford added two more runs to take a 5-2 lead after Etheridge recorded her third and fourth RBI of the contest with an emphatic single.
Behind McQueen's great pitching performance, the Fords forced Muhlenberg into a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the 10th to secure the win after a long game.
Muhlenberg 5, Haverford 0
Game two was a struggle for Haverford, as the Fords registered only three hits the entire contest. The Mules had Raya Kunes to thank for that as she pitched all seven innings and struck out three in a gem, a complete-game shutout.
Muhlenberg scored its initial run in the bottom of the first inning while adding two in the third and then another two in the fourth. Haverford had no answers on either side of play and the Mules held strong with solid defense plays all around the field.
It was a game to forget as Haverford totaled 24 at-bats with three hits and left four runners on base. Uyeda had two singles, while Mia Kessinger added a single and a walk.
The Fords will now have a few days to reset before welcoming the visiting Franklin & Marshall Diplomats to Class of 95 Field on April 22 for Senior Day. The first pitch of doubleheader action is scheduled for 1 p.m.