KISSIMMEE, Fla. - The Haverford College softball team (2-2) continued its 2024 spring break slate in Kissimmee, Florida at The Spring Games showcase held at the Fortune Road Athletic Complex Monday. The Fords picked up their first victories of the season, defeating the University of New England, 9-2, before prevailing over Beloit 11-5.
Game 1: Haverford 9, U. of New England 2
After giving up one run in the top of the first, the Fords' offense exploded in the bottom half of the inning, putting five runs on the board to take a 5-1 lead. It all started with back-to-back hits from Jocelyn Leal and Addie Sapirstein, as both ended up in scoring position after a throwing error and a passed ball. With runners on second and third, Mia Kessinger lined a double to right field, scoring Leal and Sapirstein to give the Fords a 2-1 lead.
Kyra Van Denburgh then reached first base on a fielder's choice when Nor'Easter pitcher Liv Arvidson elected to throw Sapirstein out at home instead. However, after Sapirstein was thrown out, she took a big turn at first and was able to evade the tag in a lengthy rundown, allowing Kessinger to come around and score to give the Scarlet and Black a 2-1 lead.
Following a Grace Stow single that advanced Van Denburgh to second, an Abby Litchfield single knocked in Van Denburgh to tack another run on the board for the Fords. Up 3-1, a Maddie Etheridge two-run single then scored Litchfield and Stowe, giving Haverford a commanding 5-1 lead.
After UNE got another run off of Clarissa Smith in the top of the second, the Fords couldn't take advantage of runners on first and second, leaving a zero on the scoreboard to end the second inning.
After a bit of a choppy start in the first two innings, Smith began to settle in for the Fords, blanking the Nor'Easters in the end of the third inning 1-2-3. However, the offense behind her couldn't capitalize, as the Scarlet and Black took a 5-2 lead into the fourth inning.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Fords began to do some more damage, following another scoreless frame on the scoreboard from Smith. With Kessinger on second and Sapirstein on third, Van Denburgh reached first base on a fielder's choice. Sapirstien came around to score, and after a throwing error trying to get Kessinger out at third, Kessinger advanced home to make the lead 7-2.
Litchfield continued her strong performance from the plate, singling in Van Denburgh to extend the lead 8-2, before a Sarah Fan RBI single scored Litchfield to propel the lead to 9-2.
Smith was then able to blank UNE in the remaining three innings of the game, to earn the win and hand the Fords their first triumph of the 2024 season. Smith pitched a complete game, giving up two runs (both earned) off six hits, as well as striking out six.
Game 2: Haverford 11, Beloit 5
Jocelyn Leal started the second game of the day getting on base with a single, before eventually coming around to score off a sac fly from Kessinger, to give Haverford an early 1-0 lead. Lauren Martin followed up that at bat by hitting a single up the middle and stealing second base on the next at bat. Martin came around to score following a Van Denburgh single into center field, as the Scarlet and Black took a 2-0 advantage into the bottom half of the first inning.
After Rachel McQueen silenced the Beloit bats in the bottom of the first, the Fords went to work once again in inning number two. Etheridge started the second inning off with a double down the line, moving over to third base off a Tessa Pearlstein sacrifice bunt. Sarah Fan then lined a single right up the middle to score Etheridge to take a 3-0 lead.
With the bases loaded following a Leal walk and a Sapirstein single, Kessinger launched a double to left center field scoring two, as the Scarlet and Black went up 5-0. The cleanup hitter Martin then smoked a single to left field, scoring Sapirstein to extend the Haverford lead to 6-0. The very next at bat Van Denburgh stroked a double to right center field, scoring Kessinger and Martin, to increase the Fords' lead to 8-0.
Beloit was able to add one run onto the board in the third inning, before Van Denburgh scored her first run of the game off a wild pitch in the top of the fourth inning, to put the Scarlet and Black in cruise control 9-1.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Bucs started to come alive, scoring two runs off a Jocelyn Jordan single to trim the lead down to 9-3. The rally continued for Beloit in the next at-bat, as Briana Arteaga roped a single to right field, scoring Jess Coppe to make it 9-4. The next batter was Angela Donath, who reached first base on an error, as Jordan crossed home plate to make it a four-run ballgame again, 9-5.
In the top half of the seventh inning Kessinger continued her havoc on the Bucs, doubling down the left field line for two more insurance runs as the Scarlet and Black took a sizable 11-5 lead into the bottom of the seventh.
Alexa Finkele capped off an impressive four-inning outing by striking out two of the four batters she faced in the final inning, to earn the win and preserve Haverford's second win of the young season.
The Fords will continue their spring break trip Tuesday, March 12, returning to Fortune Road Athletic Complex to take on Catholic at 11:15 a.m. and No. 8 Case Western Reserve at 1:30 p.m.