HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College softball team (17-18-1, 5-8-1 CC) split its doubleheader with the visiting Franklin & Marshall Diplomats (7-20, 2-9 CC) on Saturday morning at Class of '95 Field. The big bats took over in game one winning in five innings by a score of 11-2. The Fords would then drop game two 6-2, scoring their only runs of the contest in the seventh inning. Before the contest, the Fords celebrated the contributions and careers of six graduating seniors. Kaila Uyeda, Abby Marquis, Carley Parsons, Madison Hujber, and Susie Pieper were all honored by friends and family in attendance.
Haverford 11, Franklin & Marshall 2 (5 innings)
It was a stellar performance all around for the Fords but one performer stood out amongst the rest; Abby Marquis. Coming into the doubleheader, all eyes were on the senior not only for Senior Day but Marquis was just six hits shy of 100 for her career. The senior also leads the Centennial Conference in home runs and added two more to that ledger, bringing her season total to nine, a mark that matches Haverford's single-season record.
Agonizingly, Abby Marquis finished the day with 99 hits, setting her up to hit the milestone at home on Tuesday, April 25 when the team takes on Ursinus in the regular season finale doubleheader.
Marquis hit the first of her two home runs in the bottom of the first inning, sending the ball over the center field fence to plate two runs. Addie Sapirstein was the other to score as she singled to lead off the inning. The Fords took a 3-0 lead after the first inning as Mia Kessinger was able to score on a wild pitch. Franklin & Marshall didn't score its first run until the top of the third thanks to an RBI double from Kat Gunther. However, the Fords responded quickly.
Haverford added four more runs in the bottom of the third to completely stun the visiting Diplomats. Kaila Uyeda singled to center field and eventually stole second. Marquis stepped up and hit her second home run in as many at-bats to score another two runs for the Fords. Already holding a 5-1 lead, the Fords added two more runs in the inning with a Maddie Etheridge RBI single followed by an RBI single from Maddie Hujber.
Despite the Diplomats scratching across another run in the top of the fourth, the Fords answered yet again with another four runs. Haverford kept their foot on the gas and put the visitors under all sorts of pressure to make plays. Nikki Kingsland reached first on an error by the shortstop to record an RBI with Uyeda scoring on the play. Susie Pieper reached on a nearly identical play, as Tessa Pearlstein and Carina Whiting scored. Later the Fords loaded the bases and with Carley Parsons being walked, added the last run of the contest. The game came to an end in the fifth inning after F&M failed to cut into the 11-2 lead.
In addition to the two home runs from Marquis, the Fords added four extra-base hits in the contest. Marquis and Mia Kessinger hit doubles while Kingsland and Hujber hit triples.
Rachel McQueen started in the circle, pitching 2.2 innings and striking out one. Pieper took over after and continued the solid pitching from the Fords with 2 strikeouts and one earned run in 2.1 innings of work to log the win.
Franklin & Marshall 6, Haverford 2
The Fords failed to make the same impact in game two. The bats for the Diplomats weren't doing all that much early on, but their six runs were enough to down Haverford. The hosts struggled to record any runs despite outhitting F&M by a total of seven to four.
The Diplomats scored two runs in the second inning, one in the fourth, and then three in the top of the seventh. McQueen pitched most of the contest and recorded a career-high five strikeouts.
On offense, Haverford could only manage two runs and they did not come until the seventh and final inning. Marquis hit an RBI single to score Parsons and Maddie Etheridge but it wasn't enough to make a real comeback attempt given the Fords already had two outs. A Kessinger flyout ended the game and left Haverford without the sweep.
The Fords now have just one more doubleheader before Centennial Conference playoffs with both games being important to the playoff chase. Haverford will end the regular season with a home doubleheader against Ursinus on Tuesday, April 25. The first pitch of action is scheduled for 3 p.m.