SWARTHMORE, Pa. – The Haverford College baseball team out hit host Swarthmore College but the Garnet used four unearned runs to take the win, 7-4, in Centennial Conference action Friday afternoon at Clothier Field.
After surrendering the first two unearned runs in the bottom of the opening inning Haverford (16-9, 7-3 CC) halved the Swarthmore (13-11, 5-5 CC) lead in the top of the second with Charlie Carluccio generating the spark.
Carluccio singled with one out, advanced to second on Mike Galetta's single up the middle then stole third base. Bobby Bailey's single up the middle brought Carluccio home for the Fords' first run of the game.
Haverford tied things up in the fourth with Bailey providing the punch once again. Jeremy Zoll led off the inning with a single and stole second. Two outs later Bailey rapped out his second hit of the game, a double to left field, picking up another RBI as Zoll trotted home to even the score at 2-2.
The Garnet earned their runs off Haverford starter Bryan Henrick in the bottom of the inning, however, to steal back the lead at 5-2 after four.
Carluccio's lead-off double in the sixth turned into another run for the Fords after another stolen base. He moved to third on a ground-out and stole home after Bobby Bailey struck out. The Swarthmore catcher dropped the third strike and, without looking Carluccio back, threw down to first base for the out against Bailey easily allowing an alert Carluccio to run home for the Fords' third run cutting the margin to just two.
Haverford rode a five-game win streak into Friday's game and averaged 10 runs per game in that string so a two-run deficit with three at-bats remaining didn't appear to be troubling.
What became troubling were the two more unearned runs the Garnet plated in the bottom of the sixth to extend the lead to four.
Mike Bozzi had relieved Henrick in the fifth and thwarted a Garnet threat to end the inning. In the sixth, another miscue in the field allowed the home team to score their sixth and seventh runs of the game.
Swarthmore starter Dylan Jensen put down the Fords without a hit in the seventh and eighth then gave way to closer Ignacio Rodriguez to start the ninth.
Pinch-hitter Jeff Butera got things rolling for the Fords with a one-out single to center off Rodriquez. A ground out moved Butera over to third followed by a walk to Jake Chaplin that put runners on the corners.
Jake Kaden singled to push Butera across and bring the tying run up to the plate. Rodriquez closed out the game with a strikeout, though, to end the rally and Haverford win streak.
Henrick (2-2) took the loss surrendering three earned runs on six hits and two walks while fanning two over 4.1 innings. Jensen (3-2) picked up the win for the Garnet allowing three earned runs on eight hits and a walk. He also struck out seven Haverford batters.
Bailey, Carluccio and Kaden each banged out two hits apiece in Haverford's 10-hit attack. Bailey had two RBI with Kaden getting the other while Carluccio registered a pair of stolen bases and scored twice.
With this week's baseball split adding one-half point each to both schools' Hood Trophy totals, Haverford remains ahead of the Garnet by six points, 8.5-2.5, in the 2009-10 Trophy challenge between the two rival institutions.
The Fords tangle with Dickinson College in their next outing, a conference doubleheader Saturday at home on Class of '16 Field beginning at 12:30 p.m.